


A Rose That Won't Bloom

by fantasyworld



Category: Bleach
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Off-screen Character Death, Off-screen Relationship(s), Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-10
Updated: 2013-01-09
Packaged: 2017-11-24 08:43:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/632554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fantasyworld/pseuds/fantasyworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Winter War has ended. Now, a new battle has been set into motion and it is up to Renji Abarai to get to the bottom of it. The lone survivor of a brutal attack declares Tousen as her assailant, but he should be dead. What does this mean?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

His dark red eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as he scanned the stack of papers supplied to detail his newest mission. It was like a freakin novel! Luckily, he knew by now that only the first couple of pages actually held any necessary details. The rest was almost always extraneous. And although Lieutenant Abarai enjoyed his job and put in the required work, he refused to waste valuable time on unnecessary reading. He was to investigate the theft of a powerful, legendary artifact, starting with questioning the only survivor: the Ninth Division's Third Seat. Renji wondered where Shuhei Hisagi was in this mess, if he was still around.

Sliding the four-inch stack under his left arm, Renji turned to leave the Division Six barracks, stepping towards the large wooden-framed doorway in quick strides.

"Hey Abarai! Should you really be doing such heavy lifting in your condition?" a fellow Soul Reaper asked as he passed, indicating the stack under Renji's arm. Renji recognized him as Hisoka Imagawa, the eighth seat of the Sixth Division.

"What?" Renji replied, a grin stretching across his handsome features. "You mean this?" gesturing at the paperwork. "This is nothing. I got one before all that Aizen crap that was eight inches. Now  _that_  was one interesting mission."

Imagawa's eyebrows tweaked up, slightly surprised. "You're seriously going on a mission this soon? Didn't they want you to stay on medical leave for another week?"

"Nah," he lied. "I'm good as new."

In truth, they had wanted him to stay. Well, the Soul Reapers in the Fourth Division, at least. But times were tough and so many of the strongest Soul Reapers were still recovering, so the Head Captain ordered him back in the field. Apparently, his new mission was important.

Imagawa shrugged. "Fair enough I guess."

Renji turned to leave, but a thought struck him.

"Hey, did you hear anything about Gin? Your girlfriend works as a guard at Maggot's Nest, right?"

"Gin? I wouldn't worry. No one's ever escaped Maggot's Nest. Besides, he's been a bit off since that Ichigo guy managed to kill Aizen. He... he stopped smiling, from what I heard."

"Weird," Renji commented, shaking his head. "Well... thanks."

Imagawa nodded, and each continued on his way. Renji continued on to the Fourth Division, where he'd been only a week before.

"Back so soon, Lieutenant Abarai?" one of the Soul Reapers of the Fourth Division asked. Renji vaguely remembered his name. Marusa? Or maybe it was Masudu? There were too many Soul Reapers for him to keep track.

"Good morning Lieutenant Abarai, Maruya-san," another Soul Reaper greeted, bowing slightly as she passed. Renji frowned slightly and turned his attention back to the young man before him.

"I'm here on business," Renji answered. "I need to find the Third Seat of the Ninth Division." The young man gave Renji a slightly perplexed look, glancing at the paper in Renji's hand.

"Who is it? May I see?" Maruya asked. Renji passed him the paper and the young man's face lit up with realization. "Oh, her! Right this way." The red-haired lieutenant was led through the hallways of the Fourth Division, passing other Soul Reapers along the way. Once they neared the room the patient was in, Renji's escort stopped.

"Thanks for the help," he said.

"Don't thank me yet. Good luck with her. She's pretty scary when she's mad," the young man answered. Renji cocked an eyebrow at him before shrugging and entering the room. Captain Unohana was working with the woman he'd be questioning, standing in front of her.

"It looks like we have a guest," the captain said pleasantly, looking over her shoulder. "Can I help you with something, Lieutenant?"

"I'll need to speak with your patient when you're through with her, Captain Unohana," Renji answered, stepping out of the doorway and closing it behind him.

"I just finished. Try not to upset her."

As Captain Unohana turned to leave the room, Renji was able to see the woman he would be questioning. It was a face he hadn't seen since his days in the Soul Reaper Academy. Her hair was long and as fiery as his, though it wasn't in the braid he'd been used to seeing her wear. Her facial features were soft, as always, but covered in bruises. She was thin and, if he remembered correctly, flexible. Renji was a bit surprised to see her torso so exposed, but covered with bandages. She'd always been a bit modest in that respect. What shocked him most was the empty space where her left arm used to be, the shoulder wrapped with bandages where her upper arm and torso would have met. The woman's eyes held fire and anger, but now with shock mixing in as well.

"Renji?" she asked, a surprised inflection in her voice. Her typically fiery eyes widened in shock as he approached.

"Kagami Okasawa… You're Third Seat of the Ninth Division?" Renji answered with a question of his own. The woman before him gave a wry smile.

"Damn right. I see you're a lieutenant now. Congratulations."

"Thanks. I'm sure you know I'm here by orders from Captain Kuchiki."

"I figured. Seems like they didn't tell you I was the only who barely managed to survive."

Renji shook his head, one hand clenched into a fist. He and Kagami had lost contact after graduating from the academy. He'd never guessed he reunite with her in this way; Kagami the victim of a brutal attack. Renji remembered her being a strong woman who could hold her own in a fight. Whoever put her in such a condition, and killed the team she was with, must have been powerful.

"What happened the other day?" Renji asked, referring to the attack. He'd known when it was, but little else. A select team from the Ninth Division had been chosen for the mission. Kagami sighed heavily and gingerly placed her hand on her left shoulder. Renji pulled a chair closer to the bed, knowing the story could take a while. He leaned back in the chair, waiting for her to begin.

"We were guarding the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. There were fifty of us and it was meant to be a simple task. Lieutenant Hisagi was leading and I was second-in-command. Everything was running smoothly until five that afternoon. We were swarmed by hundreds of Hollows and even some Arrancar. There were too many for us to all fight off. Lieutenant Hisagi and I, we were nearest the sword when it happened." Renji noticed the tears forming in Kagami's eyes and his brow furrowed. He watched as her eyes scrunched in frustration, as she used to do in the academy when she didn't want to appear weak.

"You were outnumbered," he stated and Kagami nodded.

"By a wide margin. I saw the one leading them. You're going to think I'm crazy, but it was Cap- I mean, Kaname Tousen."

"Don't be stupid, Kagami. Hisagi brought him to the brink of death and Aizen finished the job, probably because he thought Tousen wasn't useful anymore."

"I know what I saw! H-He had some kind of mask, like a Hollow's, on his face, but I knew it was him. I'd recognize his spiritual pressure anywhere. He was leading the Hollows in this attack, killing so many of our men and women. We were able to fight off many of them, Lieutenant Hisagi and me working in tandem for much of it. Then, it felt like a wave of spiritual pressure was coming, like a tsunami. Nearly everyone was killed in an instant, but Lieutenant Hisagi stood in the way of it, protecting me. He'd always said that a lieutenant should look after his subordinates, and that's what he did for me. He saved my life, though the blast still took my arm. A few of the others managed to avoid the brunt of the attack as well, but it wasn't enough. The rest of them died here in the Fourth Division. The last one was early this morning. I'm the only one left from that group."

"I'm sorry," Renji murmured, though wondering if the sight of Tousen was merely caused by trauma. A tear finally fell from Kagami's eyes as she stared down at her hand in her lap.

"After that, I couldn't do anything, not even move. Tousen just kicked me out of the way and took the sword. I thought I was going to bleed out and die there. Tousen left with his Hollows and I was sure death would soon come to me. Honestly, I wasn't even afraid."

Renji remembered a time in their academy days, when they were doing some field training. Kagami had been caught off guard and she'd frozen in fear. Later, she'd confided that she was afraid of being killed in battle. Hearing Kagami say she wasn't afraid made Renji wonder how much she'd been through and changed since he'd seen her.

"The report said they found you just in time and were able to treat you." Kagami gave him a wry chuckle, glancing up from her lap.

"That's the only reason I'm alive and kicking. They keep telling me I should lie down all the time, but I refuse to," she answered.

"Don't you think you should listen to them," Renji asked, crossing his arms. Perhaps it would help her give up this delusion of Tousen attacking her, he thought.

"I was going to give up after Tousen left, but I made a deal with Lieutenant Hisagi. I told him that if I had some sign that I should keep living, then I'd continue to fight. That's when the Fourth Division showed up, and I've been fighting since." Renji shook his head slowly, now sure his old friend had lost her mind. Striking deals with a dead man? It was too much.

"Thanks for the information. I'll bring it back to Captain Kuchiki and we'll go from there," Renji said, turning to leave.

"You don't believe me." It wasn't a question and Renji sighed. Kagami had been good at reading him. He turned to face her once more.

"What do you expect me to say, Kagami? Tousen was killed by  _your_  superior officer."

"I know that, but I saw Tousen. I felt his spiritual pressure! It was Tousen!" Renji watched as Kagami's eyes sharpened, as though angered. She began sitting up straighter, appearing ready to attack an unseen enemy. Before Renji could answer her, three members of the Fourth Division entered the room. One of them placed his hands on her temples as she thrashed, trying to shove him away.

"You need to leave now," another Soul Reaper, a woman, said while leading him away.

"Let go of me!" Kagami screamed as the other man held her legs still. The first man kept his hands at her temples as they began to glow faintly. Renji watched as Kagami's eyes slowly lowered and she stopped struggling. She drifted to sleep and Renji was pushed out of the room.

"Damn," he murmured. "Whatever happened must have traumatized her to the point where she can't remember right."

"It's very strange," the woman who'd led him out answered. "Normally, with trauma victims, it's all or nothing. They either remember everything to the finest detail, or they remember close to nothing. Her story is consistent, what she told us, at least, but she's so adamant on her attacker being the former Captain Tousen. It doesn't add up."

"No, it doesn't, especially considering who Kagami is."

"Oh, do you know her personally?"

"We go back."

"I'm sorry you had to see that." 

Renji shook his head and walked away, leaving the Fourth Division as quickly as he could. It disgusted him to see his old friend in such a way. Whoever did that was going to pay. He'd stolen a precious artifact, killed a team of Soul Reapers – one of them being a friend of Renji's – and both mentally and physically hurt another friend. It had previously been just an assignment, but it was now personal. Renji would take this mission and see it through to the end.


	2. Chapter 2

_Blood had splayed across her vision, drowning her in a sea of red. Dark chuckles of her former captain echoed in her ears as she stared into the wide, lifeless eyes of her strong, hardened lieutenant. It was his blood in her eyes. The red tinge brought with it darkness, and she watched her lieutenant fall to the ground at her feet, his own life-force pooling around the limp body. The Hollow-like mask on her former captain's face split open, down the middle, to reveal a new identity. The demon before her was Lieutenant Hisagi._

_She screamed._

Sleep had come easily to Kagami, but not rest. Her dreams had been plagued by images of Tousen's attack, and Hisagi's sacrifice. That haunted her the most: her lieutenant's death. His wide, pain-stricken eyes, his blood splaying across her body; it all attacked her as she slept. It was the reason she hated when Taro put her down the way he had when Renji visited. That method only made her dreams more vivid, and more delusionary. A shudder rippled through her body as she stared up at the ceiling of her room. She just didn't have it in her to get up yet. Besides, she was sure they'd just hold her down again.

"How are you feeling?" a Soul Reaper medic asked. Her name was Mika. Kagami had found her to be a compassionate young woman in the few days since the attack.

"Tell Taro to stop doing that to me," Kagami answered flatly, never taking her eyes off the ceiling. She knew Mika would understand the meaning of her statement. It hadn't been the first time they had to forcibly put her to sleep, though Kagami felt it to be unnecessary.

"You were getting upset and he had to calm you."

"Calm? My induced naps are a far cry from calming. I feel more tired now than I did before."

"What's the problem?"

Kagami hesitated for a moment. "Nightmares," she whispered. "Bad ones."

Kagami finally pulled her gaze away from the ceiling to look at the blond Soul Reaper seated beside her. Mika was always the one she woke up to and Kagami was beginning to wonder if that was done purposely. Mika was easier to talk to than many of the other Soul Reapers in the Forth Division.

"Do you want to tell me about them?" Mika asked quietly. Kagami shook her head slowly, closing her eyes.

"I'd rather not," she muttered with a sigh.

She heard shifting noises as Mika quietly left the room, allowing Kagami to be alone with her thoughts. Kagami lifted her right hand above her head and stared at it. Her ability to fight would be greatly diminished, she knew. She also knew that her position as Third Seat would be in danger because of that. With a sigh, Kagami draped her arm over her stomach again. She wasn't sure what to do next.

' _You're tough, kid. Keep that up.'_  Kagami smiled softly, closing her eyes again. Shuhei Hisagi had told her that on her first field training mission, back in her freshman year, which was also his sixth.

_Kagami had been walking with the teammates assigned to her, Eriko Misashi and Nagataka Fuume. Both were freshmen in the advanced class, like herself. They were patrolling their area of the training ground when they heard the ear-piercing scream of a woman._

" _The hell was that?" Kagami asked, reaching for the sword she'd been given for this training assignment._

" _Let's check it out," Nagataka answered and the three of them ran to the source of the scream. More students had gathered in fear-stricken awe at the Huge Hollow that had arrived. Kagami wondered how such a beast had entered the barrier created by the advanced sixth-year students._

" _Kanisawa-senpai," Eriko murmured softly, her hand covering her mouth._

_Kagami followed her teammate's gaze to see the young woman on Hisagi's team hanging limply from the claw of the Huge Hollow. There was so much blood._ _Splashes of red dripped from the hollow's claws like wet paint. The blood oozed from the wound in her abdomen, flowing down her cold body and leaving pools of dark liquid in puddles beneath her limp body._ _Kanisawa was flung away, as though she was merely garbage, and Kagami watched in horror as Aoga tried to attack, having the same fate as his female teammate._

" _Fall back! First-year students, run away! RUN, damn it! Get out of here as fast as you can!" Hisagi ordered, unsheathing his sword._

_Kagami could not only hear the fear in his voice, but saw it in the way he held himself. This was a disaster. As she stared at the Huge Hollow that had killed two sixth-year students, Kagami froze. She didn't want to die there, before she had a chance to become a Soul Reaper. Her knees gave out beneath her while the other students ran, screaming in terror. Kagami couldn't even do that much as her wide eyes began to glaze over in tears. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling an unfamiliar hole in her abdomen, and she couldn't stop the tears as they began flowing freely down her cheeks._

" _Kagami, run!" Eriko screamed, tugging on the red-head's arm. She gave up after receiving no response and ran for her life, leaving Kagami behind._

" _Soul Society_ _! This is an emergency request for immediate backup! Sixth-year Acting Instructor Shuhei Hisagi, reporting! We're in the mortal world! A Huge Hollow is attacking at Location 1026 by Northwest 2128!"_

_Hisagi was screaming into the communication device around his neck and Kagami's fear only rose more. He'd seemed so calm and collected for much of the day, leading Kagami to believe he wasn't easily frightened. She knew the situation would only get worse. Another Huge Hollow suddenly appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere. Hisagi registered its attack too late. He jumped back as the Hollow's claws dug into his flesh, ripping into his face. Hisagi's right eye was clouded by his own blood streaking before it. Kagami barely registered her jaw dropping, knowing his reputation for being such a great fighter._

" _Hisagi-senpai!" she screamed, finally finding her voice. Hisagi glanced over his shoulder at her, his left eye wide._

" _Get out of here, dammit!"_

_Kagami shook her head and stood as the second Huge Hollow moved in for another attack. She ran to Hisagi's side, blocking the first attack with her sword and earning a shallow cut on her left cheek. A thin stream of blood fell from her cheek as more claws approached at an alarming speed. Kagami squeezed her eyes shut, anticipating an end like Kanisawa and Aoga. The sound of metal clashing caused her to look, where she saw Renji, Izuru and Momo stopping the other claws with their swords._

" _You're a freakin' idiot, Kagami!" Renji growled, his arms trembling under the weight of the Hollow's attack._

" _You three, too!" Hisagi yelled, shocked to see the first-year students defending him._

" _Please forgive us for disobeying your orders," Izuru pled._

" _And don't overlook that we're savin' your ass, here!" Renji added. Momo placed her hands in front of her, preparing for a Kido spell._

" _Great Sovereign! Mask of blood and flesh: All things in Heaven and Earth: Fluttering Wings: The one crowned with the name of Man! Raging heat and bitter discord! The seawall seethes and advances South! Hadou #31! Shakka Hou!" the petite girl yelled, a red orb of energy erupting from her hands. The attack struck the Hollow in the face, exploding on contact in a fiery blast. Renji and Izuru leaned forward in anticipation and Kagami could see the excitement on their faces._

" _No," Hisagi muttered and Kagami's grip on her sword tightened. As the smoke cleared, more Huge Hollows were revealed._

" _Im-Impossible," Izuru murmured, taking a step back. "No… no… I don't want to die…" He took another step back, trembling in fear. The Hollows advanced and Izuru screamed in terror. Kagami could feel the panic flowing through her veins._

" _Shut up, Izuru!" she yelled, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly in both hands. "Now's not the time to lose it!"_

_Hypocritical, Kagami later realized, but necessary to keep him, and herself, calm enough to fight. Each student gripped their swords tightly as the Huge Hollows neared. Suddenly, a beam of light tore through the creatures, slicing them in half and shocking the five academy students._

They had been saved by Captain Aizen and his lieutenant, Gin Ichimaru. Kagami figured it to be one of the best memories she had of those backstabbing bastards. The next day, Hisagi had found Kagami and roughly patted her shoulder.

"Good job, yesterday," he had said. They were simple words, but they gave Kagami strength in her freshman year. She had impressed a sixth-year student, and that was enough to keep her going for a long time.

' _Keep strong, Kagami. You'll make it far.'_

Kagami shook her head slowly with a slight chuckle. She'd been hearing her late lieutenant's voice since coming to the Forth Division. Was she crazy, she wondered, or just mourning? Crazy people didn't know they were crazy, so she'd heard. Did they question their sanity? Did questioning her sanity mean she was sane?

"Stupid circular cause-and-effect," Kagami muttered with a sigh.


	3. Chapter 3

Renji had spent the day questioning members of the Ninth Division, walking through the grounds to find Soul Reapers to talk to. He was now in one of the common rooms, surrounded by books and empty tables, with the exception of the one he was at. The young man sitting in front of Renji had dark hair and a particularly proud expression on his face. His name was Keitaro Nakane, an unseated member of the Ninth Division.

"It's a good thing you came to me. I know just about everything there is to know in this division. After all, I'm going to be a seated officer soon. I have to know, as part of the job," he greeted.

 _Typical Nakane,_  Renji thought,  _boasting at every chance he gets._  Renji still needed to gather more information, primarily on Kagami, before he could return to his division. Nakane seemed as good a person to ask as any other he'd previously spoken to, though he would have rather spoken to someone else.

"What's your division's Third Seat like?" Renji asked casually, seeming as though he didn't know Kagami very well. "I heard she was a firecracker."

" _Former_  Third Seat," Nakane corrected. Renji's lips quirked, wondering if the pompous Soul Reaper thought he'd be taking that position. "Okasawa was hurt pretty bad a couple days ago. Rumor has it she lost a limb."

"But what's she like?"

"She's tough, but not extraordinarily. Now that she's gone, I'll probably get to Third Seat myself." Renji cocked an eyebrow at Nakane's boast.

"Think so?"

"Sure? What's to stop me? I'm better than every other unseated Soul Reaper in our division."

"Have you figured out your Shikai?"

"Of course I have. What kind of rookie do you take me for? My zanpakuto is lightning-based and it kicks ass."

Renji now shifted slightly in his seat. This kid was getting on his nerves, boasting his abilities in such a way. He wasn't a seated officer, yet he believed he could easily take Kagami's position? Renji wondered how good  _her_  fighting was, if Nakane believed he was so much better. Now wasn't the time for that, though. He needed to know how she was when put in a difficult situation. The last one he'd seen had been when they were in the academy, and things had changed since then.

"Has Okasawa ever been badly injured before?" he asked, drumming his fingers on the table. Hopefully he'd get some real answers from this kid.

"Not that I've seen, but she likes to act tough, so she might have been without letting us find out," Nakane answered, a slight scowl on his lips. Was he jealous of Kagami's endurance? Either way, that didn't help Renji figure out how she would currently react to such a shock.

"So, you think she'd be able to keep up a façade if she was hurt?"

"Probably. I don't know. I don't talk to her." Nakane rolled his eyes, leaning back in the chair. He didn't appear to like talking about Kagami nearly as much as he liked talking about himself.

"Was there anyone she fought alongside more often than others?"

"I haven't been on any missions with her, so I don't know if it's true, but I heard she always worked with Lieutenant Hisagi." Renji nodded, figuring that sounded about right. Kagami had said she and Hisagi were working together when they'd been attacked.

"Was anything off about her?"

"Not unless you count how bad she kicked everyone's ass," Nakane answered with a shrug and a roll of the eyes. He was beginning to wear on Renji's last nerve.

"Alright. Have there been any more rumors floating around about her?" Renji asked, propping his elbow on the table. He knew rumors weren't always a good source of information, but it was something to work with. Hell, he knew that some rumors had a grain of truth in them sometimes. Maybe he'd find a good one. Nakane dropped the chair onto all four legs, suddenly appearing interested in the topic.

"Some people say she was screwing Lieutenant Hisagi to get her place as Third Seat and keep it," the young man answered. Renji's elbow slipped off the edge of the table and he caught himself before his head could hit the hard wood. The nerve of this punk! Who the hell would send that flying around? Renji may not have spoken to Kagami in years, but he knew she wasn't the type to act that way, nor was Hisagi. Renji grabbed Nakane by the collar of his kosode, bringing him to eye-level.

"What the fuck kind of joke is that?!" he demanded. The color drained from Nakane's face as he stared into the enraged brown eyes of Renji Abarai. "Your lieutenant was killed and your Third Seat was nearly put in the same place, and you're spouting shit like that!"

"W-What the hell?!"

"You're a real high-and-mighty little bastard, aren't you?" Renji released Nakane, shoving him back to the ground across the table. The young man put his arms over his head to protect himself, but Renji merely scowled and stormed past him. That interview was a bust, he realized as he resisted the urge to punch the wall as he left.

As Renji walked back to the Sixth Division barracks, he struggled to make sense of all he'd heard. Kagami's story had seemed accurate enough, with the exception of Tousen, and there was no one else from that mission to take a report from. Everyone from the Ninth Division that he'd interviewed, a good few dozen, seemed to think she was a perfectly capable fighter. Nothing they said led him to believe she wasn't of stable mind. Did that mean she was merely traumatized, or could she have lost her mind in the short time between the attack and his visit? Or, could she be right, as unlikely as that was? None of it seemed to make sense anymore.

"How was the mission?" Imagawa asked as Renji entered the barracks. The lieutenant chuckled wryly, leaning against the wall to his right.

"It hasn't even started and it sucks," he answered.

"An assignment with that much paperwork won't stay boring for long."

"Maybe not. I'll be going to the Rukon District tomorrow morning to investigate this further."

"Have fun with that, Sir. Who knows, you might find something interesting," Imagawa suggested with a laugh before walking past Renji.

The red-haired lieutenant walked to his room in the barracks, dropping his novel-thick paperwork onto a small table near the door. The day had been too long for his liking. Between the stressful visit with Kagami and the seemingly endless string of interviews with the Soul Reapers of the Ninth Division, he was mentally exhausted. No one seemed to know more about Kagami than her exterior appearance. Very few rumors had been spoken of her, and all of them sounded unrealistic. Renji tried not to think of what Nakane had said about his old friend. He scowled as he realized that Kagami was just too introverted for him to gather any information on her from third-person accounts.

She'd had as much contact with Kira, Hinamori and Rukia as she'd had with him: close to none. It was odd, considering how close they'd all been in the academy Kira suggested that she simply may have been busy, though that didn't really make sense. Renji had spoken to them as well, but still found nothing to help him. It seemed like the only one who knew the real Kagami was dead. She always liked to show how strong she was, physically or emotionally. It made sense that Kagami wouldn't let many people see how she was behind that tough pretense. Renji sighed heavily as he sat on the edge of his mattress.

"Damn, Hisagi. You made my job a lot harder just by dying," he muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

Kagami shifted uncomfortably in her bed in the Fourth Division. She was to remain there indefinitely, she'd heard. When left in a hospital room all day, there was nothing to do  _but_  listen to what people had to say beyond the door. For example, she knew many of the medics didn't believe she'd ever be able to fight again. Kagami scoffed each time she heard it. They obviously didn't know her very well. She was a fighter, if she did say so herself. Nothing could keep her down for long, not even Hisagi's death or losing her arm.

"She won't be Third Seat anymore, if she can even be a Soul Reaper after this." More whispers permeated the doors to her room and Kagami merely held back a wry laugh. She was Third Seat of the Ninth Division until told otherwise by Head Captain Yamamoto.

"You're dead wrong," she murmured. The thin wooden door was pushed open and Kagami watched as Mika entered the room. The blond woman wore a pleasant smile and was carrying a tray with medical supplies. It must have been time to change her bandages, Kagami figured.

"How are you feeling?" Mika asked pleasantly. It seemed to be her opening phrase every time Kagami saw her. Honestly, it was becoming annoying.

"Same way I was two hours ago." A slight frown crossed Mika's features as Kagami pushed herself into an upright, sitting position. "So, who says I won't be able to keep my position?" Mika's face flushed and her eyes averted to the ground.

"You heard that?"

"Yeah. So, who said it? I'll prove him wrong."

"You won't be fighting anyone for a few weeks, if not months," Mika answered sternly. It took everything in Kagami not to laugh at the feeble attempt at authority.

"Sure thing. Let's just get this over with," she muttered.

Mika sat beside Kagami on the bed and began unwrapping her bandages. Normally, Kagami would have had a problem with her upper body being so exposed. Because this was part of Mika's job, though, she put up with it. Kagami watched as the blood-stained wrappings fell from her body and to the floor. It seemed every move she made reopened the wound a little. She found it highly annoying, knowing it was slowing the healing process. Once all the wrappings were off, Kagami looked at her left shoulder. Bone, blood and jagged tissue were clearly visible, making Kagami almost wished she hadn't looked. It was no better than last time. Mika glanced up at Kagami's face, seeing the frown and narrowed eyes.

"Why do you stare at how badly your wound is if you know it will only upset you?" the medic asked. Kagami didn't take her gaze off her shoulder as she began to speak.

"This is my reminder. My lieutenant died for me. I'm lucky I lost only my arm in that fight. This way, I can remember his sacrifice."

"That's very noble of you."

"Lieutenant Hisagi was nobler."

"I'm sorry for you loss. Were you two close?"

Kagami finally took her eyes away from her wound. "You could say that."

"Well, I'm sure Lieutenant Abarai will get to the bottom of what happened," Mika said reassuringly.

Kagami resisted the urge to shake her head, but a small frown managed to form on her lips. She knew Renji wouldn't get to the bottom of anything if he didn't believe that Tousen was back. There was much more to this than he knew.

"How's his investigation going?" Kagami asked.

"I haven't heard much, but I think someone said he was going to the Rukon District tomorrow. He might be checking out the scene of the attack." Mika had begun wrapping the new bandages on Kagami's shoulder and around her torso.

"Stupid."

"Huh?"

"What does he think he's going to find? The sword is gone."

"You know it's standard procedure."

"I guess, but I know he won't find anything there."

"Who knows?" Mika answered with a shrug. "He may find something you didn't notice during the attack." She continued to wrap Kagami's wound, causing the red-haired Soul Reaper to cringe when the bandages were pulled a little too tightly.

"He just better be careful, or else I'll have to go save his ass," she mumbled with a chuckle.

Mika laughed along with her, thinking it was a joke. Kagami's eyes drifted to stare out the window, at the night sky. The stars were twinkling brightly and the moon was full. It brought her a little more peace of mind as she could remember many nights when she'd watch the skies with her friends during the academy days, when they weren't all cramming for exams together.

"All done," Mika said, pulling Kagami out of her thoughts. "Try to get some rest."

"Yeah," Kagami murmured as Mika left with the dirtied bandages.

As the door shut behind the medic, Kagami couldn't help but wonder how long it'd be before she could fight capably again. She pressed her hand to her left shoulder lightly, wincing at the sharp pain. There was always a dull ache, especially when she moved. The Soul Reapers of the Fourth Division called it Phantom Pain. Kagami often wondered if that was meant as a sick joke, considering all Soul Reapers were technically phantoms.

She worried for Renji, now that she'd heard of his destination for the next day. He wouldn't find anything to lead him to Tousen. He didn't believe Tousen was even alive, and that was where the trouble began. Kagami swore under her breath, knowing her once-close friend would soon hit a dead-end in his investigation; Hisagi's death would be meaningless. She took her hand off her shoulder, clenching it into a tight fist. With a scowl, she tore her gaze away from the night sky, to the kodachi that was leaned against the wall near her bed. It was her zanpakuto. As Kagami stared at the sword, a slight smirk crossed her lips.

' _Don't do anything you'll regret when you die.'_  Hisagi's voice rang in her ears as she slid off the bed and silently walked to her zanpakuto. The white tiles were cool beneath her feet. Kagami lifted the sword from the ground and held it by the sheath.

"I won't regret this."


	5. Chapter 5

Renji scowled at the destroyed land he'd found himself in. He was in the outermost limits of the Rukon District, where the attack on Hisagi, Kagami, and their teammates had taken place. Much of the ground was broken, as though split by an earthquake, and the small shrine in which the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi had been held was reduced to mere rubble. The polished marble of the shrine was piled in mounds around the still-standing altar.

"Damn," Renji murmured as he glanced around at the blood-stained grass and dirt. It was like the sands of frikkin Iwo Jima.  _That_  was a bad day. Renji could still remember the rush of souls that came in from that battle alone, let alone the whole war. It was a day that was burned into his memories. Renji's eyes raked over the battlefield as he walked towards the altar. His hakama caught on a jagged rock and he kicked it away, revealing a limp hand. It was pale, as though all the blood had been drained out of it. Minor cuts and bruises adorned the hand, but it appeared as though  _rigor mortis_  had worn away. It was sickening. "Oh, hell…"

Renji knelt beside the exposed appendage and carefully removed the rubble from around the body. He saw the face of a young man, eyes wide in either fear or shock; Renji couldn't be sure which. He figured it had been the last emotion the man experienced before death. If it was anything like Kagami described, Renji pitied the poor kid. The young man's clothes were in tatters and it appeared as though a hole had been ripped clear through his stomach. Renji wondered if this was a Hollow's doing, or the result of that strange wave of Spiritual Pressure Kagami had mentioned. Of course, that was only an option if Kagami wasn't  _completely_  insane. Blood stained what remained of the dead man's clothes, painting the typically white under-clothes red and stiffening the black shihakusho. Renji had wondered how this poor kid had been overlooked before, when the other bodies were taken from the scene of the attack. How much else did they miss in a cursory examination, if they'd left a man behind?

The body of the deceased Soul Reaper began glowing with a pale blue aura as it began disintegrating. Being a soul, he would become part of the atmosphere of the Soul Society, or be reincarnated. Either one, Renji figured, was better than being caught beneath a pile of rocks. The red-haired lieutenant stood and continued to approach the altar. The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi had rested upon this altar only days before, guarded by two of the finest Soul Reapers Renji knew. Now, one of them was dead and the other was likely mentally unstable.

Renji kneeled at the altar, searching for any signs that may have led him to who the attacker was, or how they'd managed such an attack so quickly. There was nothing but rubble from the shrine surrounding the pedestal. With a frown, Renji stood and dusted off his hakama before broadening his search. He began circling the shrine, examining the ground and what little trees remained. The only difference he could find as he walked was that there was less blood painting the ground the farther he got from the shrine. Not a shred of evidence was to be found, which angered Renji. How the hell was he supposed to get the damned sword back and make this bastard pay if he had nothing to go on?

All he had was his sensing of the odd traces of Spiritual Pressure, unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It didn't seem to belong to any being he'd come into contact with before; not Soul Reaper, human, Hollow or Arrancar. Hell, not even like Ichigo's weird Spiritual Pressure. What'd they call it? Vizard? Something like that. It didn't matter because none of them felt remotely like what Renji was feeling now.

"Find anything?" a woman's voice asked, causing Renji to jump and whirl around to see the owner.

He'd been careless, he mentally cursed himself. How could he have let her sneak up on him like that? He'd been too deep in thought to notice what was around him. It didn't help that the woman had concealed most of her Spiritual Pressure. No, Renji realized a second later, she didn't conceal it. It was so hard to detect because it was weak.

"What the  _hell_  are you doing here?" Renji demanded. He pulled his hand away from the hilt of Zabimaru, realizing he'd reached for it reflexively.

"Calm down, Renji. It's not like I'm going to attack you. I just asked a simple question. Did you find anything?" The face of the woman before him was smug, hiding any effects her injuries may have been having on her. Renji stared into Kagami's eyes as she smirked at him. She was waiting for an answer, he knew.

"Nothing to lead me to who did this."

"I didn't think you would." She pushed herself off the slab of upraised earth she'd been leaning on.

"Shouldn't you be in the hospital, Kagami?" Renji asked irritably.

"I got let out on good behavior." He knew she was lying. There was no way in hell Captain Unohana would have allowed Kagami to leave so soon. He wondered how she'd managed to sneak out, though that was a question for another time.

"You're in no condition to be out here."

Kagami scoffed. "Look who's talking. I heard about how you fought Captain Kuchiki even after being injured by that ryoka kid. Do you have any idea how pissed I was when I heard that? You could've been killed! You're in no position to be lecturing me."

"That was different," Renji insisted.

"How so? You wanted to save Rukia, and you've resented Captain Kuchiki ever since he took her away, back when we were in the academy. Now, I want to avenge Shuhei and kill the man who took him away."

Renji stared at Kagami in shock. She'd always had a kind of fierce determination about her, but this was different, stronger. Her eyes were sharper and narrowed, glistening ever-so-lightly from what Renji could guess were the beginnings of tears she'd refuse to shed. He knew it would be difficult to dissuade her.

"Kagami, don't be stupid. You'll only get yourself killed if you try that. You're in no condition to fight," he began.

Kagami scowled and he could see a faint, darkened line on her face. It was only clearly visible when the light hit it just right. It was a scar she'd received over forty years ago, when the advanced placement class went to the Living World for field training. She'd earned that scar protecting Hisagi, even knowing she would've likely died in the process. If Renji, Kira and Hinamori hadn't stopped the other attacks, he knew Kagami would've most certainly died that night. She'd been willing to do so for Hisagi, before she'd made any connection with him. Now, she'd lost him as her lieutenant; Renji could only imagine what she was willing to do.

"I can fight, Renji," Kagami answered firmly, her voice low and her eyes burning. "And I'm going to make sure  _he_  pays for what he's done."

"And just what makes you so sure I'm going to let you go after your attacker like you plan to?"

"If you don't let me go with you, then I'll hunt him down on my own. I can sneak out of the Fourth Division again. But, you need me to go with you."

"Why's that?" Renji asked, humoring her. Kagami smirked.

"I didn't tell you everything about the attack, Renji. If you want to go any further with your investigation, you  _need_  me to go with you."

"I can get by without the information you have."

"Then where will you go next?" Kagami asked smugly. Renji had forgotten how manipulative she could be back in the academy. She'd only improved as the years went on, he realized with a scowl. What was he to do now? Suddenly, a thought struck him and he found a way that might get him the information he needed without putting Kagami in danger.

"They'll probably send a search party for you. Besides, you'll need medical treatment. I might be out here for weeks on end."

"I don't care if they send a search party. I'll stay out of their reach. As for the medical treatment, I can manage. I was able to bring a few supplies," Kagami answered, shrugging her right shoulder to reveal the black bag she had strapped to her person. Renji hadn't even noticed it before.

"Kagami-"

"Nothing you say is going to stop me, Renji," she interrupted. With a sigh and a scowl, Renji resigned to let Kagami have her way, for now. As soon as he had the information he needed, he decided, she would be sent back to the Seireitei. She'd be pissed, but he knew she'd thank him for it later.


	6. Chapter 6

Kagami withheld a chuckle as she watched Renji drum his fingers irritably on the small table in his room. He had brought her there after agreeing to let her come on the hunt for her attacker, knowing it would be stupid and heartless to leave her alone in the Rukon District. She needed to remain hidden from the Soul Reapers of the Fourth Division, or else they'd take her back. Kagami knew Renji wanted nothing more than just that, but he needed the information she had on this case. Of course, he probably still didn't believe Tousen was behind it, but Kagami was his only lead.

Kagami glanced around the room, taking notice of how Renji now kept things organized. Well, she figured, perhaps 'organized' wasn't the best word to use. Papers were piled on top of tables and the dresser, obviously work he'd brought home with him. Various odds and ends were strewn about the walls, including and old picture of Renji, Kagami, Rukia, Izuru and Momo from when they were in the academy together. Kagami had to admit that she was impressed, though. Renji had never been the neatest of people when they were still in school. Hell, they'd made it a rule to never study in his room to avoid tripping over a pile of books that could always be found close to the door. Now, it was only furniture that contained the cluttered nature Kagami had been used to.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Renji asked, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. Kagami smirked.

"I haven't seen you since graduation. The last time I saw you this on-edge was when we were studying for the final exam," she answered. "I forgot how funny it is to watch you squirm." Renji frowned and turned his head away from Kagami.

"Very funny. You know, you shouldn't be teasing the one who put in the request to go to the Living World."

"I can do as I damn-well please because  _I'm_  the reason you know to go there in the first place. You're lucky some Arrancar lackey decided to taunt a dying woman, the cocky son of a bitch."

Renji shook his head slowly and Kagami threw him a small smile. She wondered if he'd forgotten how blunt she could be. Growing up in Junrinran, she'd been exposed to many hardships. Granted, she knew it wasn't nearly as much as Renji had seen, knowing he'd raised himself in Inuzuri.

"You're something else, Kagami," Renji mumbled.

"I think I'll take that as a compliment."

Renji leaned forward in his seat, staring at Kagami where she sat on his bed. His elbows rested on his knees and his hands were clasped in front of his face in thought. Kagami stared back, waiting for him to speak whatever was on his mind.

"How's your shoulder feeling?" he asked. Kagami scowled at the wound, slowly rolling both shoulders. The left one creaked and she could swear she felt some of the thin, newly-formed tissue rip.

"Like hell," Kagami muttered, pulling her gaze away from the left sleeve. She was one of the few Soul Reapers in the Ninth Division who wore sleeves, for which she was now thankful. She wanted to hide the damage, as well as protect the wound as best she could.

"Do you need anything for it?"

Kagami chuckled. "Oh, I  _should_  be sitting in the Fourth Division with Mika taking care of it, but we both know that's not happening. I'll live. Now, back to business. When are we leaving for the Living World?"

"Mid-morning tomorrow. You'll have to sleep here for the night."

"Figures they'd make us wait until tomorrow," Kagami muttered, fingering her hair. It was still out of the braid she usually kept it in. She could no longer hold it back the way she usually did, now that she couldn't use her other hand. She figured it would get in the way, sooner or later. Kagami was beginning to consider cutting it to better suit her needs.

"Can I ask you something?" Renji asked, pulling her from her musings. Her eyes snapped forward to stare into his.

"Sure," Kagami answered.

"Why didn't you keep in touch with any of us after graduation? Kira and Hinamori said they hadn't seen or heard from you in years, except in passing." Kagami's eyes dropped to the floor. She had felt bad about losing contact with her friends, but was never sure how to reestablish a connection. She shrugged, cringing at the pain in her left shoulder.

"I don't know. I guess I just became so focused on my job as a Soul Reaper. I still talked to Izuru and Momo for a short time after graduation, though the time between grew further and further apart. If memory serves, though,  _you_  never tried to contact me after we graduated either. I heard of your promotions second-hand, usually from Izuru, Momo or Shuhei." Renji cocked an eyebrow.

"You call him by first name now?" he asked.

"He was one of my closest friends before he died. You know I'm informal with all my friends. And don't change the subject." Kagami put her hand on her hip, leaning forward slightly. She felt like she was in the Soul Reaper Academy all over again, having a mock-argument over something that had nothing to do with the task at hand. Back then, it was studying and now, it was their mission.

"I was under the impression you would contact me first if you wanted to keep touch," Renji answered and Kagami began chuckling, covering her mouth to hold back her laughter. "What's so funny?"

"I was under the same impression," she answered, realizing how stupid they'd both been. She should have figured as much, Kagami realized as Renji began laughing quietly as well. "I guess you managed to answer your own question, in part."

"I guess so." Kagami quickly stopped her laughter, giving Renji a serious expression. There was too much weighing heavily on her mind for her mind to really enjoy herself.

"Renji, can I ask  _you_  something now?" she murmured. Renji gave her a curious look and nodded slowly. "Will you be willing to take down the one who stole the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, whether or not you believe it's Tousen?"

"I don't think it's Tousen, but even if it was, I'd kill him for what he's done." Kagami smiled softly and nodded.

"Thanks, Renji."

"Of course, it's not him," the red-haired lieutenant answered, leaning back in his chair again. This caused Kagami to frown once more.

"You'll believe me when you see him. Just don't freeze up."

"I'll try," Renji answered half-heartedly, obviously not believing her. Kagami sighed heavily, flopping backwards to lie on Renji's bed.

"Whatever," she muttered.

"What are you so moody about all of a sudden?"

"When I told the Fourth Division Soul Reapers what I saw, they started treating me as though I'd lost my mind. I wasn't going to tell anyone else about Tousen, but then you came to question me. I thought  _you_ , of all people, would believe me because you know I don't make up shit like that."

Silence enveloped the room and hung heavily in the air. Kagami didn't bother moving to look at Renji. She figured he wouldn't have an answer. She turned onto her right side, resting her head on her arm and closing her eyes. With only a small lamp to illuminate the room, Kagami found it very easy to relax here. It was a stark comparison to that room in the Fourth Division—her prison cell, as she saw it.

' _Sleep. You'll need your energy.'_  Kagami nodded numbly, barely moving her head, and waited for sleep to come.

Renji hadn't bothered to pester Kagami when she'd curled into a ball on his bed. He'd planned on letting her sleep there in the first place. To pass the time in silence, he read through about half of the paperwork for the mission. As he'd figured, most of the necessary information was found in the first three pages. He'd been surprised, though, to find Kagami's name written on the fifth page, which he'd only briefly skimmed through the first time. Perhaps he wouldn't have been so shocked to see her in the Fourth Division if he'd read that the first time. Renji tossed the papers back onto the small table and stood from the chair he'd been sitting in. He looked down at Kagami's sleeping form and what he saw surprised him. There were tears streaming across her face from beneath her closed eyes, moistening the fabric of her sleeve beneath her head. Her body was trembling lightly as she curled up even more. Was she cold, Renji wondered, or having a nightmare?

"All the walls go down when you sleep," Renji murmured as he grabbed a thin blanket and draped it over Kagami. He then prepared a mat on the floor for himself and shut off the lamp, hoping to get some much-needed sleep as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Getting through the Senkaimon, the gate between the Living World and Soul Society, had been easy enough for Renji and Kagami. No one had noticed her departure, as so many others were leaving for the Living World as well. There had even been a class of Academy students, Renji had noticed. He hoped they had better luck on their field training exercise than he'd had his first time. Renji had noticed Kagami's eyes averted when she saw the students.

"That was us, forty years ago," she had mumbled with the smallest of smiles.

Now, the two of them were within Karakura Town, a place Renji knew well after coming so often on missions. Hell, he felt like he knew this place like the back of his hand. They had emerged in a suburban area on the west side of town. Both were hovering over the buildings, staring out at the town and its horizon. Neither of them had brought a gigai, as Kagami had said they likely wouldn't be in this world long. Renji looked at her now and could see dark circles beginning to form under her eyes. She yawned loudly, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Tired?" Renji asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. Kagami chuckled.

"Believe it or not, that was the best night's sleep I've had in a few days. I just haven't been resting much. No big deal."

"What's the problem?" Renji remembered her tears and trembling the night before and wondered if they had anything to do with Kagami's lack of rest.

"Just some bad dreams. Nothing to worry about. Let's just worry about finding Tousen," Kagami answered and Renji resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He'd allow Kagami to believe Tousen was alive, if only to keep her from fighting with him. The last thing he wanted was his only lead to be pissed off at him.

"Are you sure he'll be here?" Renji asked and Kagami nodded.

"Don't you feel it? That strange spiritual pressure?" Kagami asked, looking up at Renji. He cocked an eyebrow, unsure of what she was talking about. He hadn't sensed anything out of the ordinary when they arrived.

"What do you mean? I don't feel anything." Renji watched as Kagami's eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed in frustration. She looked away from him and down at the street below them.

"Focus, Renji. It's faint, but here. He's not in this world just yet. I don't sense Tousen's Spiritual pressure."

"Then what  _do_  you-" Renji stopped when Kagami held up her hand in front of his mouth, staring at him intently.

"Focus," she ordered. Renji frowned, not liking how Kagami was ordering him, but did as she said. He concentrated more on the spiritual pressure around him, until he felt a new presence. The spiritual pressure he was sensing was the same as what had been left behind at the scene of Kagami's attack.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed.

"That's Tousen's weapon. It's what he used to kill Shuhei and so many of our comrades. Remember that tsunami of spiritual pressure I told you about?" Renji nodded. "That was it."

"Did he use it here?" Renji asked, suddenly felling a twinge of concern for the innocent people of Karakura Town. If this weapon could take out a bunch of Soul Reapers, it could wipe out the town without any trouble. Renji's worries were somewhat alleviated when Kagami shook her head.

"Not yet. It would be stronger if he had. I don't know where it is, but I can feel it. He'll be coming here."

"But why?" Kagami glared at Renji.

"Do you think I can read that bastard's mind? Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that he's coming here." Kagami seemed annoyed, but not in the same state she was in the first day Renji saw her. That put him a bit more at ease. If the Fourth Division felt the need to sedate her in the mental state she was in, he wasn't sure he wanted to see her angry. "Is there anyone in this town you trust? I've heard you've been here."

"A few, why?" Renji asked. Kagami shrugged, winced and glared at her left shoulder.

"I don't know how long we'll be here. Could be a few hours, could be a few days. If there's anyone who can see us that you trust not to tell about me, then I figured it'd be a good idea to bum a room off of them," she explained.

Renji nodded, seeing her logic, and thought to the people he knew here in Karakura Town. There was Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Soul Reaper that killed Aizen, and Rukia would likely be with him. Then, there was Kisuke Urahara and his crew. They certainly wouldn't tell the Soul Society about Kagami. While Renji would love for Kagami to be in a hospital receiving medical care from the Fourth Division, he still needed her for the time being. He thought back to his time staying with Urahara: cleaning the shop, following orders from that brat, Jinta, and being forced to train with one of Ichigo's friends for days on end. Renji shuddered at the thought of enduring that again. He hoped Ichigo wouldn't mind two more Soul Reapers in his house.

"I know someone. He should be at school now."

"School? He's human?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. We can trust him," Renji answered and led the way to Ichigo's school.

It was a fairly large building and Renji could still remember the last time he'd been there, when all the issues with Arrancar were only beginning. Damn, he wished it was that simple: knowing what to expect and who to look for. Renji and Kagami walked through the relatively empty hallways of the school, unseen by anyone who may have been walking by, or through, them. It was midday, meaning Ichigo and his friends were likely having lunch now. Renji first looked into Ichigo's classroom, Kagami following close behind. Inside, none of Ichigo's friends could be seen, nor could Ichigo and Rukia. Other students could be seen, chatting amongst themselves, but none would have been able to help the Soul Reapers. Renji scowled and turned away from the door, heading for the stairs to the roof.

"Something wrong?" Kagami asked, taking notice of Renji's facial features.

"The bastard just always makes me look for him." Kagami chuckled as he opened the door leading to the roof of the school.

"Did you hear about that guy who's filming a movie right here, in our town?" a young man asked excitedly, obviously engrossed in the conversation with his friends. Renji recognized the voice, but couldn't remember to whom it belonged. One of Ichigo's friends, he was sure, one of the boys without any power.

As Renji and Kagami rounded the corner, a group of high-school students could be seen, including Ichigo Kurosaki. His abnormally colored hair was always a dead give-away. One of the boys in the group looked up, obviously seeing Renji and Kagami. He was Uryuu Ishida, a Quincy, Renji remembered. He nodded at the two Soul Reapers, both acknowledging their presence and drawing Ichigo's attention to them. The orange-haired teen turned where he sat, his eyes widening when he saw Renji and Kagami.

"Is he the one?" Kagami asked, looking Ichigo over. The spiritual pressure coming off of him was in waves. She was shocked that a human could have so much energy.

"Hey, I remember you!" the brown-haired boy exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Renji. He was the same boy who had spoken before. "You're one of those weird kids who came to our school a few months ago." He then turned his attention to Kagami, approaching her with speed she didn't know a human could possess, and looked her over. "And who might you be? Someone as lovely as you couldn't possibly be hanging out with someone as weird as-"

"What the hell?" Kagami demanded, stepping away from the boy. "Y-You can see me?"

"Keigo, leave the girl alone," Ichigo said in a slightly annoyed tone. "Renji, what are you doing here, and who  _is_  she?"

"Kagami," a woman's voice murmured and Renji watched as Kagami's eyes widened in shock. The owner of the voice stood, revealing a petite woman with black hair that the both of them knew very well. Kagami turned her attention to the speaker.

"Rukia?" Kagami asked, her voice barely above a whisper.


	8. Chapter 8

Kagami was in shock, to say the least. Hell, that was an understatement. The last she'd heard of Rukia was when that ryoka kid, Kurosaki, had come to the Soul Society to save her. The fact she was alive was a miracle in and of itself. Kagami remembered that battle, when Aizen betrayed them all. There were a lot of casualties, and a lot of revelations. It was the day the man Kagami once looked up to had shown his true nature. Path of the least bloodshed, Kagami had sneered. She couldn't believe she'd actually listened to his words.

"What are you doing here?" Rukia asked, snapping Kagami out of her thoughts. The red-haired woman smiled and stepped forward.

"I could as you the same, Rukia. It's been a while," she answered. Rukia looked her over, a small smile on her lips. It had been forty years since they'd seen each other, far too long.

"Hey, what's going on here?" the brown-haired boy, Keigo, asked. "You guys know each other? And why are those two wearing such weird clothes. They're dressed like that Madarame guy my sister was crazy over." Kagami cocked an eyebrow at the boy, still unsure as to how he could have enough spiritual pressure to see Soul Reapers.

"We need to talk to Ichigo," Renji said, effectively ignoring Keigo as he continued to ask questions. Kagami figured he must have had practice with this. The orange-haired boy stood and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He and Rukia walked past Renji and Kagami, and entered the school building so they could speak more privately. Nobody questioned them, and Kagami wondered if they could all see Soul Reapers; the tall, dark skinned man, the girl with long orange hair, and the boy with dark hair and glasses.

"What's going on?" Ichigo asked once Renji and Kagami had joined him and Rukia.

"We're hunting a dead man."

"He's not dead," Kagami growled, wrapping her arm around her waist. Rukia glanced at her, noticing the lack of movement from her old friend's left arm. The sleeve hung limply, with no trace of a limb or its form. She said nothing on the subject.

"Give us the full story," Rukia ordered instead.

"Long story short, Kagami was attacked a few days ago, and the artifact she was guarding was stolen. We're after the thief. Kagami has reason to believe he'll be coming here," Renji explained.

"So, what, do you need my help?" Ichigo asked.

"You think we can't handle this?"

"We need a place to stay in case he takes more than a day to come," Kagami answered, cutting Renji off before he could start an argument.

"What? My house isn't a hotel!" Ichigo exclaimed. Kagami frowned and leaned against the wall of the stairway.

"It won't be for long, probably only a couple days."

"I don't see a problem with it," Rukia said easily. "With a good story, your family would probably let them stay."

"We don't have gigais. They probably won't see us."

"No, but my sister might," Ichigo muttered.

"Don't be heartless, Ichigo," Rukia reprimanded, though Kagami suspected it may have been in more of a joking manner. Ichigo sighed heavily and Rukia smirked, sure she'd get her way.

"One more thing," Kagami said. "The Soul Society can't know I'm here." Both Ichigo's and Rukia's eyes widened, surprised to hear this. Kagami had expected more, but felt it was only fair she told them.

"Why not? What happened, Kagami?"

"I'm supposed to be sitting in the Fourth Division right now, being treated. They're not going to be happy when I go back, but this is a fight I need to finish."

"For an artifact?" Ichigo asked skeptically. "Seems like a lot of trouble."

"Not only for the sword, but my lieutenant. I only ask that you don't report me to them, not yet," Kagami explained, pleading with her Rukia. Ichigo shrugged as the dark-haired woman put her hand on her chin in thought.

"Wouldn't be the first time we defied the Soul Society. It doesn't matter to me, as long as they don't go after my family."

"They don't know I'm here."

"Alright," Rukia said, "but Kagami, I want to know everything that happened." Kagami nodded, though she wasn't looking forward to the explanation of what had happened to her. It was a painful moment that she relived every night.

"Right. I'll tell you this evening," Kagami answered.

"You guys can't stay here. You might as well go to my house now. Just don't make a mess of the place," Ichigo said as he walked past the two Soul Reapers.

Renji led the way to the Kurosaki home and entered Ichigo's room through the window. The room was very well-kept, which Kagami was thankful for. As the two Soul Reapers entered the room, a small stuffed lion crawled out from under the bed and stared up at them. It then frowned and pointed an accusing paw at Renji.

"What're _you_  doing here?" he demanded. Kagami stared at the stuffed animal in shock.

"What the hell is  _that_  thing?" she asked, dropping to the floor and picking it up by one ear. The toy started flailing around, screaming for her to put him down.

"He's a Modsoul. They named him Kon," Renji answered.

"A Modsoul? In a stuffed cat?"

"I'm a lion!" Kon yelled. "And put me down! Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Big talk for a little toy."

"Put him down before he makes too much noise," Renji said and Kagami dropped Kon to the ground with little disregard. He bounced on the wooden floor before standing with an angry expression directed at Kagami.

"Why're you here, Abarai? And who's she?" Kon demanded, waving a paw at Kagami.

"Ichigo said we could come here. She's Kagami Okasawa."

"Fine, but don't make a lot of noise. Ichigo's dad is downstairs."

" _You're_  the one who was yelling," Kagami muttered, earning another glare from the stuffed animal.

Later that day, Ichigo and Rukia came home to find Renji and Kagami leaning over Ichigo's desk. There was a red marker in Kagami's hand as she drew circles over the map of Karakura Town spread out in front of them. Other markers were spread out across the desk. Both Renji and Kagami were marking possible locations where Tousen would attack. The map was covered with stars, circles and lines in blue, black, orange or red. Ichigo dropped his bookbag on the floor beside his desk and glanced at the map. He shook his head with a sigh, not bothering to ask what in the hell they were doing.

"Where's Kon?" he asked.

"We tied him up after an hour," Renji answered, pointing to the closet.

"You know he's a little pervert, right?" Kagami asked, scowling as she thought back to how the stuffed animal had tried to bury himself in her breasts. Ichigo scratched the back of his head with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, sorry about that. We can't really stop him. Rukia usually just kicks him," he answered.

Rukia opened the closet door to reveal Kon wrapped in duct tap with it covering his mouth. She chuckled softly and shut the door again, turning to face Renji and Kagami. Muffled screams came from Kon as the door closed completely. Kagami stared back at Rukia, remembering their time together in the Academy. They'd met through Renji and had become relatively close, before Rukia had been adopted into the Kuchiki family. It seemed like she'd been doing well in the past forty years. Kagami couldn't help but wonder why Rukia was still in the Living World. Was it because of this human? Renji had told Kagami the story of how Ichigo had become a Substitute Soul Reaper, but why would Rukia continue to stay? Kagami shook her head, figuring it wasn't any of her business what Rukia chose to do.

"Kagami, what happened to your arm?" Rukia asked. Kagami sat up on the bed and crossed her legs, allowing Rukia to sit next to her. Ichigo took a seat in another chair, curious to hear the story.

"We were attacked while guarding the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi by Kaname Tousen. He's the reason my arm is gone," Kagami answered.

"But I thought he was killed." Kagami then proceeded to retell what had happened to her, before Renji could interrupt. As her story came to a close, Rukia's and Ichigo's expressions softened to those resembling pity. It was something Kagami didn't want.

"Shuhei died, and he's the reason I'm here now," she concluded.

"I'm sorry. Were you two close?"

"Very. That's why I'm hunting down Tousen, to make sure Shuhei's death wasn't in vain."

"It wasn't, though," Ichigo said, bringing their attention to him. "He wanted to keep you alive, and he did. His death wasn't in vain."

"But what good will it be if Tousen kills me later? He'll be back. I plan to stop him before it can happen."

"I'll help," Rukia said firmly and Kagami smiled.

"You don't believe Tousen's back, do you?" Renji asked incredulously.

"None of us actually saw his death. We can't be sure if he's back or not. For now, we have to assume Kagami's story is accurate because she's the only one who saw him and survived the attack." Kagami nodded with a smirk, thankful there was  _someone_  who didn't think she was crazy.

' _Keep strong, Kagami.'_


	9. Chapter 9

As evening grew near, Kagami finally put down that Godforsaken red marker and stepped away from the map of Karakura Town. Renji had walked away from the map an hour earlier, once Kagami had said she thought they'd marked everything. She then spent the past hour checking and rechecking their work. If Renji hadn't known better, he'd say she didn't trust their combined efforts. Renji was seated in a chair on the other side of the room, informing Rukia with what was happening in the Soul Society.

"Of course Gin Ichimaru is being held in Maggot's Nest," Rukia said, almost dismissively. "With Aizen dead, the Soul Society probably figured they might be able to keep control of him. After all, the reports  _did_  say he showed a lot of promise."

"He tried to escape once," Renji noted. He remembered Imagawa talking about that day after the escape had taken place. Apparently, Ichimaru had tried to provoke a riot within Maggot's Nest. It took all the guards and many members of the Second Division to put it out. Renji thought it was a wonder most Soul Reapers under the lieutenant rank didn't' know about the attempt.

"He's just one less bastard we have to deal with," Kagami answered, now sitting in the chair at Ichigo's desk and facing the rest of the group. Ichigo was on his bed, with Kon sulking on the edge of the mattress. He'd been untied, on the condition he left Kagami and Renji alone as they worked.

"What do you plan to do next?" Ichigo asked.

"Tomorrow we should check out the areas marked on the map. It might help us get a better idea of where Tousen will attack." Renji nodded and his gaze was brought to the empty sleeve of Kagami kosode.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked and Kagami frowned slightly.

"Fine," she answered tersely. Renji knew it had been a while since Kagami was last treated—at least twenty-four hours. The bandages would need to be changed and the wound disinfected again.

"What about the wrappings?" This time, Kagami glared at him.

"Amazing how you notice that, but not the abnormal spiritual pressure from before."

"You didn't answer my question," Renji pointed out. Kagami scowled as Rukia and Ichigo turned their attention to her, awaiting an answer.

"Yes, the bandages need to be changed. Would you like a gold star?"

"You realize you can't tend to it on your own, right?" Renji asked, smirking as he watched Kagami's face fall. He figured she hadn't thought of that fact when she had left the Fourth Division. She may have brought the supplies needed, but she didn't have the capability to tend to her own wounds anymore. Kagami opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it, sighing heavily.

"Ichigo and Renji, go outside and take Kon with you," Rukia ordered as she stood and walked towards Kagami.

"Thanks, Rukia," Kagami murmured as Renji stood and followed Ichigo into the hallway. The Substitute Soul Reaper was carrying Kon, holding the stuffed toy lazily by the leg while it flailed.

"Hey, put me down!" Kon yelled with a disgruntled expression on his lion face.

"Shut up, before my sister hears you," Ichigo snapped. Renji watched curiously as Kon shuddered and suddenly stilled, crossing his arms. Ichigo leaned against the wall of the hallway, unceremoniously dropping Kon to the floor.

"What do you think of Kagami's story?" Renji asked quietly, not wanting the red haired woman in question to hear him through the door. "Do you think Tousen's really alive?" While he still doubted it, Renji was beginning to consider it a possibility. A highly unlikely possibility, but a possibility nonetheless.

"Who knows? If he is, then we'll just kill him. I kind of feel sorry for  _her_ , though. Seems like she's having a hard time adjusting. How do you know her, anyway?"

"We were friends back in the Soul Reaper Academy. After graduation, we grew apart. We saw each other for the first time since then just the other day, when I began this assignment." Ichigo's eyes widened slightly, as though he was surprised.

"You two haven't seen each other in years and now you're working together to get this sword back, huh?"

"Just about," Renji muttered. Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head to look down the hall.

"Is she in good condition to fight?"

* * *

Kagami hissed in pain, pulling away from Rukia slightly. The wrappings had been slowly removed, the cloth sticking to the tender flesh beneath it. Rukia hadn't flinched when she'd seen the wound, which was more than Kagami could say for Mika's first time treating her. Based on Mika's reaction, Kagami assumed she was new to the Fourth Division; otherwise, she wouldn't have been quite so disturbed. Once Rukia began disinfecting it, Kagami felt the burning pain she hadn't experienced in the past twenty-four hours.

"Is this worse than usual?" Rukia asked as she continued to lightly dab the disinfectant on Kagami's shoulder. The red-haired woman cringed again, biting her lower lip.

"I was getting used to the pain before. I just need to adjust again," she answered through clenched teeth.

"You're very fortunate, you know."

"Lucky I didn't die, I suppose. And lucky I know what Tousen's planning, mostly."

"You're lucky your lieutenant cared about you so much." Kagami turned her eyes away and resisted the urge to shrug. She knew the action would only cause her more pain.

"Depends on how you look at it. If he didn't care for me so much, would he still be alive?"

"If he wanted you to live, how do you think he'd feel if you died and he knew he could have prevented it?"

"Was I really worth that?" Kagami asked, her eyes narrowing and her lips pulling into a frown.

"Lieutenant Hisagi must have thought so," Rukia answered as she began wrapping the bandages around Kagami's torso again.

"He shouldn't have died. I'm thankful to be living so I can stop Tousen, but I just wish my life hadn't cost Shuhei's." She flinched once more as Rukia pulled the bandages a little tighter.

"That's how it works, and all we can do is just keep living." Kagami sighed softly and stared ahead of her, knowing Rukia was right.

"Yeah," she murmured. "And that's what I plan to do."


	10. Chapter 10

Kagami groaned softly, curling into a tight ball under the comforter that covered her. Each muscle creaked against her movement and her right arm prickled with pins and needles from the weight of her body. She pushed herself up, stretching her upper body once she was fully sitting.

"Stupid floorboards," she muttered quietly, staring down at the impressions of the wooden floor on her arm. They would be gone in minutes, but bothered her for the time being.

Kagami looked around the room she'd slept in, careful not to disturb its still-sleeping occupants. She and Renji had been make places on the floor of Ichigo's room to sleep, with two sheets beneath each of them. The room was silent, but for the occasional shifting of weight or faint snoring. Kagami stood and shook out her hand in an attempt to get all the blood flowing properly to it. She silently crossed the room and sat at Ichigo's desk, in front of the map of Karakura Town. She'd checked and rechecked the symbols drawn on it countless times the night before. There had been two locations most likely for Tousen's arrival, based on what was known about Karakura Town and the strength of his weapon. Kagami wasn't entirely sure  _what_  this weapon was, but she knew it was another artifact. How many had he stolen, and how many more had he killed? It was something Kagami wasn't sure she wanted to know. She heard more shifting noises, but ignored them as she drew a large red circle around both of the yellow stars on the map.

Kagami turned the chair around and stared down at the two sleeping bodies on the floor. One was Kon, who seemed to have fallen off the foot of Ichigo's bed. He was slumped against the leg of the bed. The other sleeping body on the floor was Renji. He was sprawled out on the floor, which only made Kagami wonder how she hadn't been kicked in the middle of the night—there wasn't much floor space. She took in the tribal tattoos that were etched on his forehead and peeked from under his disheveled kosode. Renji's thick, red hair was in one braid at the base of his head. Kagami knew her own was a long tangled mess, a rat's nest in the back of her head. As she took in his handsome, strong features, Kagami knew it was no wonder why her feelings for him had emerged when they were young. She knew better than to hope for such a thing, though. It would've only hurt her more.

"How long have you been up?" Ichigo asked sleepily, causing Kagami to quickly tear her gaze away from Renji and blush furiously. She turned in her seat and saw Ichigo sitting up in his bed, stretching with a yawn.

"Only about ten minutes," Kagami answered, trying to force back the blood that had rushed to her cheeks.

"What've you been doing?"

"Just looking over the map again. We'll have to split into two groups."

Ichigo nodded slowly, as though he was still a bit too tired to think over any form of strategy. Kagami had regained her composure and picked up a book from Ichigo's desk, opening it to the first page. She figured she'd let the others fully awaken before she started talking about Tousen. Ichigo watched Kagami for a moment as she began reading one of his literature books from school, her eyes quickly following the lines of print. His gaze was brought to her empty sleeve and he remembered what Renji had said the evening before.

" _Is she in good condition to fight?"_

_Renji sighed heavily. "I don't know. I don't know anything about how she fights, let alone if she still can. Kagami's pretty sure of herself, but I don't think so."_

"Good morning, Ichigo!" a loud, male voice yelled, ripping Kagami's attention away from the book in her hand.

She quickly dropped it onto the desk as a man with dark hair burst through the bedroom window with a kick. Ichigo leaned back and the man flew past Kagami, crashing onto the floor in front of the closet. He stood and Kagami could have sworn he looked right at her. He then brought his attention back to Ichigo, who punched him with a scowl.

"What the hell, Dad?" the orange haired teen demanded. Ichigo's father stumbled toward the door, stepping on Renji's hand in the process, causing the Soul Reaper to suppress a yell in pain.

"You're improving, Ichigo. Soon enough, you'll be-" He was stopped when Ichigo shoved him out of the room, slamming the door shut.

"Stay the hell out of my room!"

"What the hell was that?" Kagami hissed as Renji shook out his hand from the pain.

"You're dad's crazy, Ichigo!" Kon exclaimed. The closet door slid open to reveal Rukia, dressed in a simple, light blue sundress.

"That was less than usual," she commented as she stepped down from her bunk. Kagami stared at her with slightly widened eyes. If that was less than usual, she didn't want to see what Ichigo's father  _usually_  did. Kagami shook her head slowly and leaned back in the chair.

"That's one way to wake up," Renji muttered with a scowl, adjusting his kosode.

Later that morning, the four Soul Reapers split into two groups to search the areas that were most likely for Tousen's attack. Ichigo and Rukia had gone to an area towards the center of town, while Kagami and Renji were on the outskirts. Houses were more spread out, with fewer people in the area. Kagami hoped Tousen would attack here, so there would be fewer human casualties. The last thing she wanted was for innocent humans to be involved in this battle.

"You're anxious," Renji commented, pulling Kagami's attention off the ground below.

"How could you tell?" she asked.

"Your shoulders. You only kept them hunched like that when you were hurt, afraid, or anxious." Kagami chuckled and squared her shoulders. She'd never noticed that physical sign of hers before. Nobody had ever mentioned it to her.

"I'm actually surprised you remembered that, Renji." The Sixth Division lieutenant smiled, opening his mouth to speak. He was stopped as a powerful spiritual pressure made itself known and descended upon them.

"What the hell?"

"Tousen," Kagami growled as she reached for her zanpakuto.

Above them, the sky opened to reveal a dark-skinned man with black hair, wearing white garments with black accents. He was, as Kagami had said, Kaname Tousen. Renji was dumbfounded. Not only was Tousen alive, but with a spiritual pressure more powerful than Renji remembered from him. The former captain's brow furrowed and his lips curled downward, as though he'd noticed something unpleasant.

"Kagami… I didn't think you were still alive," he said, his voice holding only a mildly surprised tone. Kagami scowled and drew her kodachi from its sheath.

"Don't act so familiar, like you still know me!" she yelled.

"But I  _do_  know you, Kagami. I know your fighting style, your personality, your emotions. And you, Lieutenant Abarai, don't think I didn't notice  _you_  here. I don't know how you managed to predict my location, but I assure you, your combined efforts won't be enough to stop me."

"We'll see about that," Renji answered and unsheathed his zanpakuto. "Howl, Zabimaru!" His zanpakuto extended into multiple segments aimed at Tousen. The dark-haired man disappeared from sight in an instant, surprising the lieutenant. Kagami's eyes widened as she grabbed Renji's arm and pulled him towards her.

"Look out!" she screamed as a blade slashed through the air where Renji had just been. Kagami stepped around him and moved to stab Tousen, who quickly jumped back unharmed. Kagami stumbled forward, no longer having the counterbalance of her left arm to keep her steady. Renji grabbed the back of her kosode and pulled her back.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I told you, I was his third-seat and would know his spiritual pressure anywhere. Shuhei was better, but I can get by." Kagami's eyes were then drawn to the sword Tousen held, her eyes widening again. The blade was as long as a typical zanpakuto, but the hand guard was missing and the handle itself was merely a metal-plated part of the blade. It was a stark comparison to Suzumushi. Tousen was wielding the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the legendary sword with the power to control wind direction. Kagami could only gasp.

"Something wrong, Kagami?" Tousen asked with what she perceived as a twisted smirk. "You sound surprised."

Kagami's grip on her zanpakuto tightened. She'd known Tousen would likely bring the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, but she hadn't expected him to use it in the mortal world. What was that madman thinking? Before she could have more time to wonder, a light breeze picked up and ruffled her hair. Tousen smirked and Kagami's eyes widened as realization hit her. The sword he was wielding could control the direction of wind. Tousen lifted the sword and it seemed to move in slow motion to Kagami.

"Oh, no," she murmured, taking a step to try and get Renji and herself out of harm's way.

"Goodbye, Kagami, Lieutenant Abarai," Tousen said and sliced through the air.

A strong gust hit the two Soul Reapers, sending them crashing into each other as they were thrown backwards. Renji yelled out, mostly in surprise, as Kagami swore under her breath. The impact of crashing into Renji had succeeded in further hurting her left shoulder. By the time the two of them recovered, Tousen had disappeared, out of the Mortal World again. The seams caused by his rift in the sky closed as soon as Renji and Kagami were back on their feet.

"What the hell was that?" Renji demanded. "I was expecting that to do a lot more damage."

"It only controls wind. It's not like it can make the air slice you in half, Renji," Kagami answered through gritted teeth as she clutched her shoulder. She stopped for a moment, her eyes widening significantly. "Oh, hell."

"What?"

"I think I know how he's going to attack the Soul Society."


	11. Chapter 11

Renji entered his captain's office, already dreading the report he was to give. How could he possibly explain seeing Tousen in the Mortal World? Even worse would be explaining the traitor's plan. Hell, Kagami was the one who guessed what the attack would be, and she was supposed to be in the Fourth Division. She was currently hiding in Renji's barracks.

"Is this urgent, Lieutenant Abarai?" Captain Kuchiki asked from where he sat behind his desk. The captain was a tall, pale man with long, black hair. Around him was always an air of authority.

"Yes, Captain. There's an imminent attack coming for the Soul Society. It's the same man who stole the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi," Renji answered. This drew Captain Kuchiki's eyes off the paperwork in front of him and to his lieutenant. Renji stood perfectly still, trying not to fidget. He knew exactly how this would sound to his captain. He'd had the same feelings when Kagami had first told him of Tousen.

"Did you encounter him?"

"Yes, sir, but he escaped before I could capture him in the Mortal World. It was-" Renji cleared his throat. "It was Kaname Tousen." The Sixth Division's captain raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Kaname Tousen was killed."

"I know how this sounds, Captain, but it's the truth. He's alive and he plans to attack the Soul Society," Renji insisted, his voice sounding urgent.

"Do you have any proof of your allegations?" Captain Kuchiki asked. Renji's hand clenched into a fist at his side as his frustration grew. Now he knew how Kagami felt when he'd thought her to be insane.

"You'll get plenty of proof when Tousen comes and kills us all! I didn't think it was possible until I saw him with my own eyes!" Renji yelled. A slightly inquisitive expression crossed the captain's otherwise stolid face.

"Do you mean to say, Lieutenant, that you'd previously been told of Tousen?" Renji clenched his jaw, nodding tersely. He'd slipped up and he knew it.

"Yes, sir. I was told by Kagami Okasawa, Third Seat of the Ninth Division and the only remaining survivor from the theft of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi."

"Former Third Seat," Captain Kuchiki corrected impartially, only serving to remind Renji of his conversation with Nakane. His eyes widened as he realized Kagami had officially been demoted. How would she take  _that_  news? Renji wondered if she was even considered a Soul Reaper now. "Are you referring to the same Okasawa that disappeared from the Fourth Division as you left for the Mortal World?"

Renji resisted the urge to cringe. "She escaped?" he asked, feigning shock. "Has she been found? When I saw her, she hardly looked in well enough condition to be moving."

"She hasn't been seen in two days, and the Fourth Division reports her as being unstable." Renji's fists clenched tighter. "But enough about that minor inconvenience. Have you learned anything more of this supposed attack?"

"It will likely be within the week. Tousen will be using the combined power of two artifacts. One is the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and the other is likely the Sessho-seki," Renji answered, trying to ignore the 'minor inconvenience' remark. The Sessho-seki was a powerful artifact known only to humans as being legend. It was very real, though, and hidden in the depths of the Mortal World, constantly protected. Kagami and Renji had figured Tousen must have stolen that artifact first. It was what he had used to kill Hisagi and the team from the Ninth Division.

"The stone that will kill any who touches it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you certain he has this artifact?"

"It was what he used to kill the team from the Ninth Division. The Soul Society needs to prepare for the inevitable attack."

"And how do you propose we prepare, Lieutenant Abarai? You are insisting we will be attacked by a dead man," Captain Kuchiki said, his tone carrying a hint of skepticism. Renji frowned.

"Whether you believe it's Tousen or not, he  _is_  coming. If the Soul Society isn't ready, it will be  _gone_  in a week's time!"

"I will speak with the other captains. If they deem this attack to be as serious as you believe, action will be taken. You are excused, Lieutenant."

Renji nodded tersely and left the room. He'd hoped for a better response, but figured nothing would be done for at least a couple days. He could only hope the Soul Society would be ready when Tousen attacked. Renji also wondered how long Kagami would be planning on hiding in his barracks; she couldn't hide there forever. At that thought, Renji stopped in his tracks. Kagami had been demoted from Third Seat of the Ninth Division. Head Captain Yamamoto had deemed her unfit to hold her position, after losing her arm and disappearing from the Fourth Division. Renji thought to how proud Kagami had seemed at being Third Seat. It was really all she had left. Now, she had lost that as well.

"How's the mission, Lieutenant Abarai?" a young male voice asked, snapping Renji back to reality. He looked up to see Imagawa, looking like he'd just lost a fight.

"What the hell happened to  _you_ , Imagawa?" Renji asked, looking over the young man's limping form and tired face.

"Just came back from Maggot's Next. Ichimaru tried to escape again and a bunch of Soul Reapers were called to contain him and the other inmates."

"How many attempts is that now?"

"Fifth, I think. He's a persistent bastard, I'll give him that. But that's not a big deal. How's your search for the stolen artifact?" Imagawa asked with a light chuckle in his words.

"It's almost over," Renji answered vaguely, causing the younger Soul Reaper to give him a slightly confused look.

"Oh? Are you close to catching the guy?"

"Yeah." Renji walked past Imagawa and to his room, where Kagami was staring at the ceiling from his bed. Once the door opened, she sat up straight and watched him expectantly.

"Well," she prompted as Renji took a seat in the nearest chair.

"I doubt he believes me, but Captain Kuchiki will be speaking with the other captains. If they think the Soul Society will really be attacked, then they'll prepare all the Soul Reapers." Kagami sighed heavily in frustration, obviously unhappy with the news.

"That could take too long! Tousen will be coming soon. He'll wipe out the entire Soul Society. Everything will be  _gone_!"

"I said all that. It's kind of hard to convince people that a dead traitor is attacking the Soul Society." Kagami nodded slowly, staring pointedly at Renji. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," she answered with a faint smirk. "Have there been any rumors about me? I don't want people searching for me around here if we can help it." Renji again thought of Kagami's demotion. He couldn't bring himself to break her spirit by forcing her to let go of everything she once was. He simply shook his head.

"They don't know where you are, and don't seem to have any leads, so far as I've heard."

"Good. The longer they don't know my whereabouts, the better."

"Kagami, what do you plan to do if we manage to stop Tousen?" Renji asked.

"There's no 'if' in this situation. We  _will_  stop Tousen. And, honestly, I haven't put much thought into what I'll do afterwards. I'll have to face whatever punishment I've earned from running off like I did." Renji stared at her, a bit surprised. He'd expected Kagami to have more of a plan, considering her obvious handicap. It wasn't like her to leave herself in the dark.


	12. Chapter 12

Kagami sat at the small desk in Renji's room, staring down at the paperwork from the mission that had led Renji to her. She felt as though she were being listed as a number, rather than a person, in the assignment. She supposed that was to be expected, though, considering the nature of the mission. With a sigh, Kagami tore her eyes away from the paperwork and glanced around the empty room. Renji had left to resume some of his duties, to make things seem normal. Kagami thought back to what he had asked her two days prior. What would she do once this battle was won and Tousen killed? She hadn't entirely lied to Renji, she reasoned. Kagami  _hadn't_  planned anything for the future because she anticipated her own death in the coming battle. It wasn't unrealistic. She was missing one of her arms. It was only logical to believe such.

 

' _You're just going to give up?'_  Shuhei's voice demanded. Kagami sighed again, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder. He wouldn't be there.

"I'm not giving up," she answered. "I'm going to make sure Tousen dies." This was the first time Kagami had actually spoken to the voice of her former lieutenant. Again she wondered if she were losing her mind.

' _I wanted you to live, idiot!'_

"I know, but Tousen needs to be stopped and I'm considerably weaker than I was before."

' _What happened to the Kagami I used to know?'_

"I'm still the same person, Shuhei."

' _The Kagami I knew had a stronger will. She didn't submit to the idea of dying so easily!'_  Kagami gave a low chuckle. He obviously didn't realize that she'd done just that when she'd saved his life in the academy. She had been willing to give her life to save him from a death by a Huge Hollow.

"You know I will fight like I always have. I will try not to die, but I probably will," she answered.

' _What kind of half-baked answer is that? Do you think I died just so you could throw your life away?'_

Kagami flinched. His words had struck a tender nerve. "That's not fair, Shuhei."

' _Life rarely is.'_

"What do you suggest I do, then?" she asked, her tone slightly more bitter than she'd intended.

' _I expect you to live. I've told you hundreds of times how strong you are. Prove it to Tousen.'_

"I intend to."

There was no voice after that and Kagami could only guess Shuhei had been content with her answer. She frowned at the train of thought her mind was following. She couldn't have actually been speaking to Shuhei Hisagi. He was dead; died for her. There couldn't have been a conversation and he most certainly wouldn't have been content with her answer. Kagami shook her head slowly, wondering once more about her sanity. She was talking to a dead man!

Kagami closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. She figured she should stop worrying about her mental state for the time being. It didn't affect her ability to fight. She'd been hearing Shuhei's voice for days, but she was able to keep herself and Renji alive when they saw Tousen. She had been in the right mindset when fighting him, if not in the best physical state of being.

"Are you done wallowing in self-pity?" a feminine voice asked, causing Kagami to whirl around in surprise. Upon seeing the speaker, she quickly relaxed and gave the other woman a smile.

"I forgot you could manifest yourself without me focusing my spiritual pressure. You haven't done it lately," Kagami answered.

The woman leaning against the wall was beautiful and thin, with soft facial features. She wore a simple black kimono with shades of maroon and red beneath the outermost layer. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of lime green, like a poison, and her shoulder-length, brown hair was adorned with a maroon bow at the back of her head. Fastened to her red obi was a kodachi, much like the one Kagami carried. The woman was Kagami's zanpakuto, Kurogoke.

"There wasn't much need to," the zanpakuto spirit said with a shrug. "Besides, I've been talking with the other zanpakuto."

"Have you?"

"Just because  _you_  forgot how to be social doesn't mean  _I_  have." Kurogoke sat on the edge of Renji's bed, a relatively thin black futon, and smirked at her partner.

"How are the others?" Kagami asked and Kurogoke's smirk fell with a heavy sigh.

"Their masters are mostly worried about you. Your friend, Momo Hinamori, had it rough when Aizen betrayed everyone. Tobiume still doesn't think she's fully recovered. I'm sure you heard about how she was stabbed in the battle against Aizen."

"I heard she'd been healed somehow, but didn't get any more details."

"Tobiume said it was a human girl with extraordinary healing powers that saved Momo. I find it kind of hard to believe, but she insists."

"And how's Izuru?"

"His depression's been worse since your days in the academy. Wabisuke is a pretty gloomy man."

"Reasons number one and two why I should've stayed in touch with my friends after graduation," Kagami muttered. Kurogoke frowned and flicked the Soul Reaper's forehead. "Hey!"

"You couldn't have prevented any of it and you know it. Enough wallowing, already. You're almost as depressing as Wabisuke." Kagami could only chuckle, wondering what Izuru Kira's zanpakuto was like to make Kurogoke say that. She glanced back down at Renji's paperwork and her laughter subsided as she remembered her conversation with Shuhei's voice.

"Kurogoke, do you think I'm losing my mind?" Kagami asked.

"You mean about hearing Lieutenant Hisagi talking to you? I don't think so. I mean, I hear him too. It's kind of weird hearing the voice of a dead man, but I don't think it means either of us is crazy. I think you're just mourning his death," Kurogoke answered.

"That's what I thought, but I just had a conversation with his voice!" The zanpakuto spirit shrugged.

"Maybe you _are_  crazy."

"That's a low blow, don't you think?"

"You asked for it. Look, all I know is that I'm not hearing Kazeshini, yet I hear his master every time you do."

"You had an… unusual relationship with Kazeshini."

Kurogoke laughed aloud. "Very true, Kagami. But still, I wonder why it is Hisagi still speaks to you from beyond, if you're not out of your mind."

"Probably because I've been wallowing, as you put it," Kagami muttered.

"What can you do? We're black widow spiders. Perhaps it's the fate of any man who dares to love us," Kurogoke answered, her voice softening considerably. Kagami's eyes widened at her zanpakuto's analogy, but quickly shook her head.

"You know I don't believe in fate, Kurogoke."


	13. Chapter 13

Renji had noticed a change in Kagami in the past few days. She was quieter and seemed to have a lot on her mind. It was a depressing sight, compared to her usual fire. Kagami often spent her time reading scrolls scattered about Renji's room, or staring at the picture of their academy days. She said she worked with her zanpakuto when Renji was out, but he still didn't know what she was capable of.

 

"Tousen will be coming soon. Has your captain done anything about it?" Kagami asked, her voice laced with a hint of bitterness.

"An alert is going out today. Hell Butterflies will be making their rounds soon," Renji answered.

"Took 'em long enough. They probably still don't believe it's Tousen."

"Captain Kuchiki probably didn't tell the other captains it was. He probably said it was just some random attacker." Kagami scoffed.

"Like some random soul could kill Shuhei and an entire team from the Ninth Division."

"Let them believe what they want. They'll see Tousen when he comes."

"So long as he doesn't kill them first," she muttered.

"What's with you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're usually not so pessimistic," Renji answered.

"I'm not usually this pissed off. Shuhei's dead and no one seems to care. No one even blinked when I told the Fourth Division Soul Reapers. Everyone thinks  _I'm_  crazy because I know who killed my team and my lieutenant!"

"Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?"

"Oh? Enlighten me."

"Don't you think Kira would want to help if he knew what was going on?" Renji demanded, and Kagami could only stare at him.

She hadn't given any thought to Kira's feelings on Hisagi's death. Kira and Hisagi had been close friends, and drinking buddies. Kagami had only thought of her own anger, but not the feelings of her friends. It was selfish of her.

"Point taken," she mumbled, taking a seat on the bed. "Have you seen Izuru lately?"

"Not since before your attack. Hisagi was with him."

"How was he then?"

"Same as always. They were having a few drinks with Rangiku." Kagami's brow furrowed slightly and a frown tugged at her lips.

"That was a week before we went to guard the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. I wish I had gone with him."

"Where were  _you_?" Renji asked.

"Working on the magazine," Kagami answered and glanced away, as though embarrassed.

"What?"

"I was behind on some work. Give me a break. How was I supposed to know Tousen would kill Shuhei the following week?" For that, Renji had no answer. Instead, he watched as Kagami flopped back on his bed with a heavy sigh. "Can I ask for a favor?"

"Depends on the favor," Renji answered.

"Don't be a smartass. I want you to find Izuru, and Momo if you can. Tell them that when you saw me in the Fourth Division, I was doing well, still kicking. Tell them that I'd promised to see them as soon as I was able."

"Why do you need me to play messenger?"

"Because  _I_  can't leave your room. I plan to see them again when this is all over, so I want you to tell them for me."

"Might as well, since we're still waiting on your treacherous former captain to try and kill us all."

"Shut up and go tell them," Kagami answered with a laugh.

Renji shrugged and walked out, leaving Kagami alone. As he began in the direction of the Third Division, Renji couldn't help but wonder why Kagami wanted him to pass this message. It wasn't as if she wouldn't be able to see Kira and Hinamori again. Hell, Kagami's request made it sound like she was giving her final goodbyes. Did she expect to die fighting Tousen?

Renji stopped in his tracks once the thought struck him. What if Kagami  _did_  think she was going to die? Was that why she'd been so quiet lately, almost depressingly so? Was that why she had asked Renji to pass her message on to Kira and Hinamori? Sure, Renji didn't think she was fit to fight, but he didn't think she'd  _die_. He figured he'd be able to keep her out of the worst of the battle. It wasn't like she'd be executed. All she'd done, as far as Head Captain Yamamoto knew, was sneak out of the Fourth Division. Renji had done it plenty of times, as had almost every Soul Reaper in the Eleventh Division. Hell, they were lucky if a Soul Reaper from the Eleventh Division even  _went_  for treatment.

Renji then thought of Kagami's determination and scowled. She had it set in her mind that she had to avenge Hisagi. Kagami would probably find a way to get into the fight and probably try to take down Tousen herself. Renji's hand clenched into a fist at his side from the very thought. Kagami was an idiot if she thought he'd let her go after Tousen, least of all alone. Just as Renji was about to turn around and go back to Kagami, a Hell Butterfly hovered in front of his eyes.

"An attack has been waged at the East Gate. All available Soul Reapers are to report there immediately," the black butterfly conveyed.

"Damn," Renji muttered as he began running to the gate. "Looks like she'll have to wait."


	14. Chapter 14

Kagami had heard the message of the attack through Renji's door. She hadn't wasted a minute in leaving with Kurogoke at her side. She now ran as quickly as she could towards the East Gate, where the first wave of attacks had been launched. Kagami knew there would be more than one front to fight in this battle. She was only left to wonder which front Kaname Tousen would be. She had a score to settle. Kagami didn't need to worry about being seen any longer. With Tousen attacking the Soul Society, her disappearance would be the last thing on anyone's mind. As she neared the East Gate, she could see a tall, thin, blond man running alongside a shorter, petite woman with her dark hair in a bun.

 

"Izuru!" she called. "Momo!" The two Soul Reapers stopped and turned to see who had called after them. Shock crossed their features as Kagami neared, not that she could blame them. She hadn't had much contact with either of them in close to thirty years.

"Kagami?" Izuru asked disbelievingly. "Where have you been?"

"Everyone's been looking everywhere for you," Momo added. Kagami was amazed at how healthy she seemed. It looked as though that human girl had truly done well in healing Momo.

"I know. I've been working on a mission of my own," Kagami answered.

"In your state?"

"I've been managing. It's all going to end today."

"What makes you so sure?" Izuru asked.

"You know me. I'll make sure it ends today."

"This is about Hisagi." Kagami nodded slowly and looked at them both.

"I want to apologize to you both for not keeping contact with you."

"Kagami," Momo started.

"And I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this mess."

"Don't you dare," Izuru warned, obviously knowing where this was heading.

"You both are the greatest friends I could've asked for and I regret not keeping you as close as I should have." Kagami could feel the tears stinging her eyes, but refused to let them fall. Momo looked as though she would start crying at any moment, and a sharp frown pulled at Izuru's lips. "Both of you had better stay alive… Goodbye."

Kagami ran past Momo and Izuru, not daring to look back at them. She knew she would falter if she did, and she couldn't afford that. Now was the time to be strong, to put an end to Tousen and show him just how capable she was. Upon arrival at the East Gate, Kagami found herself surrounded by hundreds of Soul Reapers. They had been separated by division and were being assigned to guard the other gates. The Sixth, Ninth and Eleventh Divisions were chosen to remain at the East Gate. Kagami hid herself among the crowd, quickly making her way to her own division. She was spotted by one of the older men first. He was an unseated Soul Reaper and a very muscular man. His black hair was cut short enough to leave him nearly bald and the zanpakuto he carried was thicker than most.

"Third Seat Okasawa," he murmured in shock. Kagami smirked as she approached him.

"Good to see you, Yakushi."

"Where have you been? You disappeared." The surrounding Ninth Division Soul Reapers noticed the conversation and a crowd was quickly forming around Kagami.

"I've been preparing for this battle. I thought it only fair to warn you all who the leader of this attack is. It's our former captain, Tousen." The shocked expressions on the faces of her comrades were to be expected, as were the mumblings that spread through the division.

"How can we be sure?" a voice asked above the rest. Kagami turned around as Nakane stepped forward, a scowl on his lips. "You abandoned us, you know? Why should we trust you?"

"Don't pick a fight with me, Nakane. You'll lose."

"You're not our commanding officer anymore!" the younger Soul Reaper yelled. Kagami flinched, understanding what he meant. She was no longer Third Seat of the Ninth Division. She had no authority over them. A smug expression crossed Nakane's face as he watched the shock display on Kagami's. She quickly replaced it with a scowl directed at him.

"Who  _is_  Third Seat?"

"We don't have one," Yakushi answered. "Fourth Seat Jipushi has been placed in command for the time being." The man in question stepped forward, his thick red hair making him stand out as much as Kagami did. He was thin, though well-toned, and had most definitely earned his place as a seated officer.

"What do you say, Jipushi?" Kagami asked.

"I'll follow you, Third Seat Okasawa. You're more experience and I'm loyal to you," he answered, earning a smile from Kagami.

"Thank you. Alright, every one who is with me, I'm going to tell you now to pace yourselves in this battle. The enemy will consist mainly of Hollows and Arrancar. Do  _not_  let your guard down. Make sure you have each other's backs. Tousen has a powerful weapon at his disposal and will cut you down if you aren't careful."

"Where will you be?" another Soul Reaper asked.

"I will be around, taking out as many Hollows as I can. Primarily, I will be going after Tousen. I want all of you to be careful, and try not to die," Kagami finished, using the finishing line she'd always added to the end of any speech she made before battle. A roar erupted from the men and women surrounding her as the first wave of attacks came.

Hollows swarmed the gate, seeming to be a massive cloud of black and white. Kagami immediately unsheathed her zanpakuto as the Hollows neared. She had brief flashbacks of her mission to protect the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. There hadn't been as many enemies then, but she could recognize the similar tactic. Kagami thought to Shuhei's death and her grip on her sword tightened.

"Hold your ground!" Jipushi barked to the other Soul Reapers. Kagami was glad to have in on her side through this.

"Ensnare, Kurogoke," she hissed and her zanpakuto dissolved into the air. The particles surrounded her hand, hardening into a black, armor-like coating with two red triangles marking the back of her hand.

' _There's the Kagami I know.'_

Without another thought, Kagami released red strands of spiritual energy from her fingertips. The threads shot forward, delving into the body of the nearest Hollow with precision. The Hollow soon slowed in movement as a fast-acting poison spread through it. Kagami withdrew her spiritual threads and quickly moved on to the next enemy. All around her, she could hear the battle cries of the other Soul Reapers. Zanpakuto were being released and blood had already been spilt. Of course, the latter was guaranteed with Captain Zaraki on the battlefield. Kagami knew the fighting style of Kenpachi Zaraki and his division. She could think of no stronger allies, and no more fearsome enemies.

"Okasawa!" someone yelled and Kagami spun around, now hearing the low, guttural roar of a Hollow preparing to attack. Unfortunately, her long hair blinded her momentarily and she could only put her arm up in defense. Kagami squeezed her eyes shut, only to hear the sound of scraping metal. When she opened her eyes, she saw Yakushi standing before her, a Hollow disintegrating in front of him.

"Yakushi… thank you," she said.

"You should watch your back, Third Seat Okasawa. You're hair's too long for this kind of battle," he answered. Kagami smirked, knowing he was right.

"I need you to cut it for me." Kagami reached behind her head and pulled her hair back. In a moment, she felt the cold edge of Yakushi's zanpakuto on the back of her neck. In the next second, her hair was free and only reached her cheeks.

"Try not to die," Yakushi said as she turned away.

"The same to you."

Kagami began running to the front lines, where she could see members of the Sixth Division fighting. There were fewer Hollows there, but more Arrancar. It wasn't long before she found Renji and saw what she could only guess what his bankai. His zanpakuto was no longer a blade, but what appeared to be the bones of a giant snake. Around the skeleton's head was a mane of bright red fur. It was an impressive sight, especially because Kagami hadn't expected Renji to have achieved bankai.

"Get a haircut?" Renji questioned once he saw Kagami.

"Impromptu, but effective," she answered as she wrapped her spiritual threads around half a dozen Arrancar. Tightening her hold, she motioned for Renji to attack. Zabimaru's reptilian head fell upon the enemies with astonishing power and the beasts disappeared.

"You always fight like that?"

"Only when my partner's zanpakuto works well with mine." Kagami was about to smile and add a wise crack about how Renji would have to suffice, but a familiar, heavy presence fell upon the battlefield. She froze and looked up to see Kaname Tousen as he neared the ground. Kagami scowled and raised her arm in front of her to prepare to fight him.

"Wait," Renji warned. Kagami glanced at him sharply. She knew Tousen's fighting style better than Renji. She  _knew_  to wait. The battle still raged around them, but time seemed to slow for Kagami as she watched Tousen lift the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. No, imbedded in the blade, was the stone she knew was the Sessho-seki. A smirk crossed Tousen's lips and she was brought back to their previous fight.

" _I know your fighting style, your personality, your emotions."_

Kagami's eyes widened as she realized what Tousen had meant. He must have known about her feelings for Shuhei, and killed him. It was only safe to assume he knew her feelings for Renji as well. She glanced at the other Soul Reaper, who was watching Tousen carefully. He couldn't have known what the traitor was planning.

' _Go!'_  Shuhei's voice screamed in her mind. Tousen brought the sword down and she could feel that wave of abnormal spiritual pressure again. She ran as quickly as she could and timed seemed to come to a complete halt.

"Renji!"


	15. Chapter 15

Renji's eyes widened in pure, unrestrained shock at the sight before him. His mind still hadn't fully registered what had happened yet. He had seen Tousen swing the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. He had heard Kagami scream his name. Renji remembered feeling Kagami shove him to the right, using every ounce of her strength to move him. There had been the clattering sound of metal as her zanpakuto fell to the ground. Now, Kagami was on the ground, her blood drenching the soil beneath her body. She had been cut nearly in half by Tousen's attack. Renji knelt beside her and lifted her upper body, his hand supporting her head.

"What the hell, Kagami?" Renji demanded angrily. He'd wanted to keep her from dying in this battle, not be the cause of her death!

"I already lost Shuhei. I couldn't let him kill you too," she answered, her voice considerably weaker. She gripped the fabric of Renji's kosode tightly, as though unwilling to leave this world yet. Her blood was quickly seeping into his shihakusho and Renji could see tears forming in her eyes.

"You're an idiot! What about Kira and Hinamori?"

"I said my goodbyes and apologies."

"I'm getting you to the Fourth Division," Renji insisted with a scowl. Inside, he could feel an empty hole forming in the pit of his stomach. It pained him to see Kagami in this state. She chuckled weakly in response to his statement.

"You know it's too late for that. I've got minutes, at best. Renji, listen to me."

"If this is a dying wish-"

"It is, so shut up and listen. You have to kill Tousen, and make sure you don't die in the process. I poisoned him, but it won't be enough to kill him, just slow him down. Use that to your advantage. If you can't do that, I will find you when we are born in the Mortal World and kick your ass," she answered.

"You're just going to give up like this?" Renji yelled.

"I don't have much choice." Kagami's eyes drifted to stare over Renji's shoulder and a weak smile crossed pulled at her pale lips. "I can see Shuhei…" Renji watched as the light left her eyes and her grip loosened on his kosode. Kagami's hand fell listlessly to her body.

"Kagami!" Renji scowled, his body trembling in anger. The Bankai form of Zabimaru was winding around the two Soul Reapers, as though it was just waiting to attack the one who had angered its master. "Dammit! You idiot. Why didn't you let me save you for once?" Renji carefully set Kagami's body on the ground and shut her eyes with his hand. As he stood, gripping the hilt of Zabimaru tightly, her body began to disintegrate into pale blue particles of spiritual energy.

"It looks like you were very fortunate, Lieutenant Abarai," Tousen said, a kind of smugness in his tone.

"You bastard," Renji hissed and lifted Zabimaru's hilt. As he brought it back down, the snake lurched forward at a faster speed than usual. Tousen disappeared from sight, easily evading the attack. Renji glanced around in search of the former captain, his mind running a mile a minute. He glanced back down at Kagami's broken sword and he felt like an unbearable weight had been placed on his chest.

"Kagami wouldn't have had to die in such a degrading fashion if she had just followed in the path of justice."

Renji attacked again, furious at Tousen's words. Kagami would have been disgraced to be thrown into the world her treacherous captain had walked amidst. His rage was fueling him and he wasn't thinking quite as clearly as she should have been. Tousen had always found a way to avoid his attacks. This time, he had disappeared and Renji couldn't see where the traitor had gone. From behind, he heard a crazed battle cry and turned just as a bloodied spear head struck the hair beside him. The wielder was none other than Ikkaku Madarame, Third Seat of the Eleventh Division. He was a bald man who was always ready for a fight.

"You're losing it, Abarai," he said with a smirk. "He was right behind you." Renji looked forward again to see Tousen, now sporting a bloodied shoulder from Ikkaku's attack. He could also see a thin slice on Tousen's cheek, along with a trail of blood, and briefly wondered if that was also Ikkaku's doing or Kagami's.

"You're one to talk," the red-haired Soul Reaper retorted. Ikkaku glanced at the ground beneath Renji's feet and saw the blood-stained earth and broken sword. He also noticed the blood that soaked the front of Renji's shihakusho.

"He already hit you?"

"No." Ikkaku simply shrugged, not caring to hear the full story. He could get it later. Now was the time to fight.

"Let's go after him before our captains show up," he suggested with an excited grin.

"Watch out for that sword. It'll cut you in half," Renji warned. All he could think of was Kagami's death. She'd saved his life at the cost of her own, just as Hisagi had done for her.

Ikkaku grinned. "I like a challenge."

He was the first to move, running straight for Tousen. The dark-skinned man raised his sword, but missed the Soul Reaper as he used shunpo. When Tousen turned around, he could hear the spear tip of Hozukimaru swiping through the air. With a simple step back, he easily evaded the attack, but heard another attack approaching. Renji had unleashed the wrath of Zabimaru on the blind warrior. Tousen disappeared from sight to avoid the attack.

"Your combined power cannot stop me, cannot stand in the way of justice," Tousen said, reappearing behind Ikkaku. The bald Soul Reaper slashed at him, but narrowly missed again.

"Why don't you stop running like a coward and we'll se?"

Renji watched as Tousen reappeared, this time farther away. The red-haired Soul Reaper knew brute strength alone wouldn't defeat Tousen. They would either need a plan, or an inescapable attack. Ideally, Renji could have used Kagami to hold Tousen in place while he attacked. Even then, defeating the traitor would be difficult. Now, it was that much harder. Renji knew he would need to back Tousen into a corner if he wanted any chance at killing Tousen and fulfilling Kagami's dying wish.

"I'm not running. You're simply too slow." Renji's eyes widened as he saw Tousen raise the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

"Move, Madarame!" he yelled. Ikkaku leapt into the air as Tousen swung the blade, barely evading the gust of wind that cleanly sliced a piece of fabric from his sleeve. Ikkaku stared down at the cut sleeve, obviously surprised by the power of that strike.

"You weren't kidding," he muttered as he moved to stand beside Renji. "What the hell kind of sword is that?"

"A legendary one. We need to slow him down."

"Any ideas how?"

"Not yet."

"Then my way will work for now!" Ikkaku yelled as he ran forward, Hozukimaru's spear tip thirsting for Tousen's blood.

To Renji's surprise, Tousen moved a second too late and his other shoulder was sliced by Ikkaku's attack. I couldn't have been a fluke, Renji reasoned. Tousen didn't make careless mistakes like that. Renji swung his zanpakuto and Zabimaru's skeletal head dove for Tousen. Again, he was barely grazed by the attack. Kagami's poison must have started working and was gradually slowing Tousen's movements.

Tousen swung the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi again, but now Renji knew what was coming. He easily leapt out of the way of the deadly gust and brought Zabimaru down on Tousen again. The traitor was able to escape unscathed this time and reappeared a good distance away from the Renji and Ikkaku. Tousen began raising the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

"It's time to end this," a deep, authoritative voice answered and Renji whirled around to see his captain, Byakuya Kuchiki. "Bankai."


	16. Chapter 16

Byakuya Kuchiki's zanpakuto, Senbonzakura, fell to the ground. As the blade plunged into the earth at Captain Kuchiki's feet, multiple swords of enormous proportion raised around Tousen. Renji knew the fearsome power of his captain's Bankai, having only narrowly survived it before when he'd fought Captain Kuchiki once. He could only watch as the giant blades shattered and swarmed Kaname Tousen. There was no chance of escape. The battle would be won here and now. Renji only wished he could have been able to fulfill Kagami's dying wish.

 

Tousen was impaled by millions of sword pieces in the next instant. His blood seemed to explode out of his body, raining down and staining the white clothes he wore. As Senbonzakura returned to its original form in Captain Kuchiki's hand, Tousen fell to the ground with a sickening  _thud_. His attire was nearly entirely crimson from his own blood. Much to Renji and Ikkaku's surprise, the traitor was still alive. Ikkaku stared down at Tousen with a slight scowl; his fun in the battle had been lost. Rather than stand around, he left to fight more of the Hollows and Arrancar that were still attacking. Renji looked to his captain, a bit confused as to why he wasn't finishing Tousen off. Instead, Captain Kuchiki sheathed Senbonzakura as he stared at the pitiful, barely living form that was once the proud Kaname Tousen

"I leave the rest to you, Lieutenant Abarai," Captain Kuchiki said as he walked away, taking the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi with him.

Renji pulled Zabimaru into its sealed form, making it look like a regular katana again, and sheathed it as well. He knelt down and picked up the broken tip of Kagami's zanpakuto. Tousen could only watch as Renji walked towards his defenseless form.

"This is for Kagami," Renji growled and plunged the broken blade into Tousen's heart. Finally, it was over.

* * *

 

Once Tousen had been taken out, disposing of the Arrancar and Hollows was a simple matter. There had been attacks at the other gates, but none as large as at the East. Now, the battle was over and the war against the Arrancar was finally won. All that was left to do was take care of the wounded and count the number dead.

Renji couldn't move at first.

He could only stand between the two splotches of bloodied soil. One marked the death of Kaname Tousen; the other marked the sacrifice of Kagami Okasawa. Renji still held the bloody, broken blade that had once been Kagami's kodachi. His palm sported a thin slice from gripping the blade too hard when he killed Tousen. He didn't bother to wrap it yet. All he could do was stare down at the ground where Kagami had died for him. Hours later, that was where Kira found him.

"What happened to Kagami?" the blond asked apprehensively. He was afraid he already knew the answer, but was praying he was wrong.

"I couldn't save her," Renji mumbled, a scowl pulling at his lips. "That stupid idiot got herself killed  _because_  of me!"

"What happened?"

"She took an attack for me. It killed her." Kira sighed heavily and noticed the broken sword in Renji's hand, as well as the blood dripping from the tip.

"She must have known the cost. She spoke to Hinamori and me before the fight."

"She said she couldn't lose me too," Renji growled. Even now, he didn't understand the significance of those words. Why had Kagami said them?

"Kagami protected the people she cared about," Kira answered. "I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but she loved you." Renji's eyes widened and he finally tore his gaze away from Kagami's blood on the ground. He now stared at Kira, shocked by his statement.

"What?" It was all he could utter. Kira's eyes averted, falling to the place Renji had previously been staring at.

"Kagami would often confide in me, especially when we were in the Soul Reaper Academy. She told me she loved you."

Renji finally let the broken zanpakuto fall from his hand and land on the ground with a harsh clattering noise. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Kagami had died to save him… because she had loved him. Her final act had been to protect the one she loved. Renji felt that uncomfortable, empty hole in his gut again and rested a hand on his stomach. There, he could feel Kagami's dried blood, stiff on his shihakusho.

"Dammit," he growled, his hands clenching into fists. "Dammit!"

"You should go and rest," Kira suggested carefully, afraid to further upset the Sixth Division lieutenant. Reluctantly, Renji left the battlefield, but took both pieces of Kagami's broken sword with him.

Once in the Sixth Division barracks, Renji had his hand wrapped and returned to his room. There was no point in going to the Fourth Division for such a minor injury. Many Soul Reapers needed much more immediate attention. Renji took the two pieces of Kagami's zanpakuto and carefully set them on the small table beneath his picture from the Academy days. For a moment, he wished he could have gone back to those times again. It was a time when Rukia was still his best friend, Hinamori hadn't been betrayed by Aizen, Kira wasn't depressed and Kagami was alive. Life was less complicated then.

With a heavy sigh, Renji grabbed the stack of paperwork from the mission and left his room. He had a report to write, complete with Kagami's involvement. It was only right that her final days were spent working to protect the people she cared about. That was just how Kagami was, Renji figured. She'd cuss you out and be a smartass, but at the end of the day, she would lay her life down for you. She'd done it for Hisagi in the Academy, and she'd done it for Renji just before her death. Renji sighed heavily as he tucked the paperwork beneath his arm and headed towards his office.


End file.
